Yardening continuation May 2014

In regards to the JBs, I'm going to use Bonide's spinosad offering called Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew. The label reads that it is toxic to bees but only when wet so best to spray it just before the sun goes down.

Milky Spore does great and is environmentally "correct" -- but it does take some time to kick in.

Hand picking stinks and jbs is a pleasant summer past time that gets one up close and personal with ones garden and the creatures that inhabit it. I use a WaWa Big Gulp cup with lid and extra lond straw. Fill 2-3 inches with water, add s squirt of Joy and go out for a hunt! Use the straw to fool stinks and jbs into diving right in to the waiting cup below. Especially satisfying to get those 'doublers'. When done put on lid and stick in straw and you're readyfor the next hunt. I believe that stinks and jbs both leave the plants they are eating for the night and congregate somewhere else. Mine like the mix of Virginia Creeper and wild Grape and if the day is wet/cloudy/cold I can snag quite a few of them from underneathe the leaves. If you get the early ones there will be fewer to bring on the next generation is my theory. And I've added no further load of chemicals and toxins.

Yeah I've heard something that you can only use milky spore a couple of years and then they get immune to it so you have to take a year off or something to that nature.

Milky Spore works on the Grubs so if only works if you have the grubs in the ground. You don't use it every year. If I remember right I think you use it every five years or so. Only treating every five years makes it much more cost effective.

I think you only have to treat every 10 years or so. I treated our "lawn" (such as it is) 15 years ago and it really did make a huge difference, but I forgot to re-do it. The last two years my yard has been torn up by raccoons digging for grubs. I re-treated the "lawn" a few weeks ago.

You could be right Happy I just remember that it is a very long time between treatments. No mole problem without the grubs, too.

Got a couple more flower beds cleaned out, dug out the miniature gardens that I overwintered out side, cut back the 3 butterfly bushes. Did a general clean up. Lots more to do but I am getting there slowly. Think I will start planting annuals tomorrow, fill up a couple of deck boxes and planters.

I have shopped for a pile of bedding plants--all sitting around now waiting to be planted.
Just a couple days ago--I went to Chapel Hills Nursery and bought 2 trays-full ($11.99 ea)
of really pretty annuals. Otherwise--$1.99 each 4-pack. Fill tray--8 4-packs--saves $4.
Begonias, Petunias, Verbenas, Marigolds, etc....Most of these will go in pots and W-Boxes.

Still have a slew of Zinnias (from seed) waiting to be planted...And--the Coleus! AArrgghh!
They are so leggy I am not sure what to do.

My caladiums have not sprouted yet--been sitting outside in the sun and waiting...

I should be getting the Cannas in beds soon--they take a while to sprout...That means
digging up the raised bed. Procrastinati9ng here....maybe DD's SO will help?

Have a slew of pretty geraniums---Wowsa colors!! Some will go int the border of my YUK bed.
Hope they make it there. Will dig up and dig in some good stuff and hope for the best....
Part of the HD- P.W. sale--4/$10. That ended yesterday.

Lots and lots to do--but this week will put everything on hold as my DD and her
SO are visiting...Waiting to go pick them up in a a couple hours...

I work Sunday--9-6 and am doing my "Kiddies planting flowers for Mom" workshop.
I am prepared for about 100 kids to come through. Got pots--got ted hearts on sticks
( made these) and the rest will be contributed by "Bell" and soil from HD.

I will try to concentrate on getting all the pots filled first, rather than planting in the beds.
Pots are easier--and will take care of many of the annuals I bought.

Seems like sprig is upon us--royally! Oh yeah? How many of you REALLY believe that?

Gotta go vacuum the club room....G.

Interesting about the milky spore. I am having a 'grub treatment' on my lawn by the lawn company this year. Hopefully that helps. I know I love digging these little buggers out of the soil. I get all excited because when it's really hot and sunny, they're fun to throw in the street and come back to an hour later popped open.

Consider Milky Spore disease -- it is a lot better for the birds and bees than insecticides, and very easy to apply. One treatment lasts 10 years. http://web.extension.illinois.edu/blmp/news/news27553.html , http://www.stgl.us/gstore/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=&idproduct=4006 . (Better prices are available on Amazon -- http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=milky%20spore&sprefix=milky+s%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amilky%20spore ).

Milky spore doesn't prevent them from coming to your plants though. I work all day and a few hungry JBs can eat a whole rose blossom pretty quickly so I have to do what I need to, to keep them away. As it is, spinosad isn't a chemical, it's a bacterium.

Just got my Clems from Joy Creek & Oh My! They are HUGE!!!

If you use a chemical to kill grubs it is a waste of time and money to apply MSpore for a couple of years. If they are no grubs present to infect and continue the cycle of the spore it dies out. I applied MS last year and what a difference. I use GrubX, but only in limited quantities and only on my Iris. It is very effective on Iris grubs. I don't like using chemical control but the only other way I know to get rid on Iris grub is mechanical, dig them up and remove the grubs using a crochet hook or similar tool. Way too labor intensive.

Okay folks, another seedling id please. These are growing in the area where I had a blanket flower (gaillardia of some variety). They are still fairly small

Cat, it's hard to tell, but are the leaves fuzzy? If they are, then it might be Black-eyed Susan.

Not sure exactly which thread this applies to but I think many of you woodland gardeners would appreciate seeing the latest blog post in the Real Gardens section of the Garden Rant Blog. It consists of a garden tour of several houses in Takoma Park, MD. http://gardenrant.com/shut_up_and_dig/real_gardens The name of the post is a little salacious so I'm not putting that part up. But I promise, it's just flowers.

Typ, I checked out that garden tour link - nice, I wish my shade gardens were that lush and full!

*sigh* I know, right?!

I just got Bonide Systemic for bugs & grubs, can't use it on my veggies - but great on regular plants & flowers

What chemical is in that Bec? If it's imidacloprid, it's toxic to pollinators and birds....

Well, crap! I was certain since I ordered from an organic company it would be ok...apparently not! It's 0.22% imidacloprid! Guess I won't be using it!

Back to drawing board then, I'm guess it'll be Neem based - I haven't applied anything yet, haven't seen any bugs - thanks for info!

I use it on the house plants but not outside.

That may change, Holly just found Woolly Adelgid on our only Hemlock.How it spread here I don't know. We have the only hemlock in a half mile that I know of.

I'm checking the website for Spray-n-Grow, they have Neem oil & other safe sprays, will order a small bottle of Neem based spray...if it's safe for humans & for same day spraying of veggies, I'm thinking it doesn't contain toxic ingredients for birds & bees OR I'll get a bag of Diatomaceous earth

I'm thinking Volck Oil Spray may be effective on Woolly Adelgid. Anyone have an opinion?

Bec, Bonides' Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew is a good bug killer that is only toxic to bees when wet. Also, you might check out Bonide's 8 Vegetable Spray. It's non toxic to birds but toxic to bees so you'd want to avoid applying it to a flowering plant. Between those two things, you should be covered. The Captain Jack's is a bacterium so it's organic but the 8 Veg is permethrin, which is a chemical. Anyway, these are the things I'm going to be using this year.

I wouldn't take any chances with that Wooly Rick. I don't think Hemlocks flower, so you should be good hitting it with something hard unless it's near a stream.

Apparently the oil will work pretty well with 2 week applications, and if applied near nightfall will have little effect on pollinators. I have a couple of small JMs in close proximity, but they are small enough I can cover them.

Why can't the oil get on the JMs?

I won't use anything until I actually SEE bugs or problems...I just bought & applied some fish emulsion (to my veggie grow bags), that I know is safe for everything...just need a watering can for both garden beds...expecting heavy rain, so have all weekend to run & buy a can & get everything fertilized...received a bunch of annuals yesterday from Graceful Gardens to use as 'fillers' in the front areas of the beds & in some planters & got them in the ground before the rain starts again...we're expecting rain for at least the next 3 days - this will of course make everything grow like crazy & I'm already looking at some of the more 'thuggish' perennials & wanting to divide & give away!! Anyone up for a 10 hr drive to come get some incredibly fast growing & healthy plants?? :-)

Bec: I love your approach ("I won't use anything until I actually SEE bugs or problems").

We may be driving to Atlanta in August -- only another 3 hours to Huntsville....

As long as I'm home, come on over!!

LOL -- if we're in the neighborhood!

Sequoia, Directions on the label specifically say not to get it on JM. Not sure why, I was thinking sunburn but it could be another reason.

I have been kicking back a bit today as planned. I get up every half hour or so and do a small job. So far I relocated and divided a pretty 2 tone green hosta, potted up some rooted climbing hydrangea for the GC plant sale and plant swap, planted 2 epimedium one yellow and another purple, found a lovely spot for a pretty 2 tone violet where I will remember that it is a special one. I also moved one of the Helle's more to the back of the bed and planted a Redstone Falls Heuchera. Like this combo better especially with the hosta. What do you think of the change.

Holly, that's a gorgeous hosta. I like the color contrast between the Heuchera and the green plants in the background. Doesn't Redstone Falls spread nicely? That would look very pretty covering that bed.

DH finally mowed the lawn today! Yay! Those of you who were here a few weeks will appreciate how badly the grass needed to be mowed. I asked him if he would ever mow the lawn without me asking him and the answer was "never." He says he doesn't "notice these things."

Some of my houseplants came out today and the rest will come out this weekend. I have so much repotting to do!

That's a lovely color contrast, Holly!

Lawn--I need to do that this weekend! :-o

As I mentioned in another thread somewhere - lawn-mowing is what I plan to do early this morning. Thankfully my DH will do it to surprise me if it's really out of hand and it's on a Saturday while I'm working (nice to come home expecting to whip out the mower first thing only to find he's done it!) :) Today I get to do it.. and then water the babies and check on their progress. ... and do a little work with some Vole Scram while I'm at it. < =/

I found a rabbit burrow at the edge of my Iris bed yesterday. It's at the edge of the bed, along the grass line and it directs toward the grass. Gotta be careful while mowing there.. I think I'll whip out my scissors and just cut that area by hand. =)