Good Fellas June 30, 2009

 

When summer hits its stride, so do the garden pests.   I’ve had a few grand battles with some particularly pesky pests in the past.  However, I wasn’t always the most proactive player in the pest management game.  I really only took notice after these “rat bastards” – as I so kindly refer to them  – did some serious damage to one plant or another.    I recently had a chance to work with the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) division at Longwood and quickly became hyper-aware of all insect activity thanks to daily scouting trips around the gardens and routine research on the topic.  

 

 
Lo and behold, once my eyes were opened, my garden quickly reveled myriad insects, many of which are good guys!  I never knew I had so many beneficial insects fighting my war against pests for me.    As I noted earlier, the lady bugs were feasting on black aphids in my flower beds in late May and early June.   And the bees of course have been doing their very important business of pollinating since the first colorful flower emerged in spring. 

 

 
I couldn’t really capture the  itty bitty parasitic wasps laying their eggs inside the eggs of an asparagus beetle’s, but trust me, that was super cool!   I actually saved the leaf the eggs were on in a small vile and hatched them out in safety.  I released the new generation on my stand of mustards and beans as these little wasps reportedly do big time damage to Mexican bean beetle, my arch nemesis. 

 

 
But the real hero in my garden this year is without a doubt the army of assassin bugs (a.k.a. wheel bugs).  Early this spring I noticed a clutch of eggs on one of my wooden poles that I was tempted to squash since I didn’t know what they were.  Boy, am I glad I didn’t!  Out hatched hundreds of bright red and black assassin bugs, all of which quickly disappeared.  I was forlorn as I knew they are a great predatory insect.  Well, thankfully they just were hiding for a bit while they went through a couple nymphal stages (I’ve found lots of empty skins they shed on the underside of many of my ornamental plants). 

 

 

About two weeks ago, they all suddenly re-emerged on my Echniops, at least triple the size they had been when they hatched.  I immediately offered them a re-location package they couldn’t refused and carefully (they do bite!) dumped at least 20 on my ground cherries, eggplants, and tomatillos in the vegetable garden.  These plants were plagued with flea beetle and Colorado potato beetle.  I had my doubts that they’d do much good… assassin bugs are general predators so it wasn’t clear from my research if they’d be all that committed to cleaning up one pest in particular.  Well, folks, the proof is in the photo!    The Colorado potato beetle grubs were a hot ticket item on the menu and I am now grub free!  I also saw them piercing the flea beetle with their tenacious mouthparts, but when they weren’t encumbered by the weight of a big ol’ grub, the assassin bugs moved too quickly to take a clear photo of the feasting.   The flea beetle population has plummeted.   I can’t believe I’m saying this…but, I hope the Mexican bean beetle and harlequin bugs get here soon so my brigade of good fellas has something new to eat!

 

Box of Beauties June 20, 2009

 

June Blooms June 18, 2009

 

Flowers for cutting are finally starting to pick up steam in my garden.  Two bunches I cut in particular this week caught my eye.  The ‘Blue Celeste’ sweet peas are a stunning steel blue color and are as sweetly fragrant as the most expensive Parisian perfume.  They are so beautiful; I did not want to muddle either their color or their scent with any other flowers.  Tucked into an antique silver cup en masse, they are whimsical and gracious as no other arrangement can be.

 

 

In a completely different direction, the bunch above that I picked in the rain (and didn’t have much time to “arrange” before sending it to the farmers market) proved to be frothy and woodsy, combining the last of some pale blue delphinium spikes with yarrow heads kissed by various hues of pink and creamy yellow and the spikey green filaments of ‘Hair’ alliums.  A few pale violet penstamin blooms tucked around the edges reminded me of fairy caps, hinting at how this combination of flowers would work perfectly for a wood nymph’s wedding.

Succulent Propagation 101 June 18, 2009

 

In an effort to expand my succulent collection and possibly someday propagate and sell unusual specimens, I’ve been teaching myself about taking cuttings from succulents and rooting them with the hopes of having regular success.  Generally speaking, this category of plants is pretty easy to get rooted, though somewhat slow to put on new growth initially.  Some genera are straightforward; they put out “offsets” or “pups” – essentially miniature forms of the more mature plant – that can swiftly be plucked off and rooted to grow a new plant.  In fact, several species practically kick off their young’uns themselves, as in the case of my thimble cactus (Mammillaria fragilis),  which makes these plants highly successful at spreading about in their native environments.   In other cases, such as the two Agave victoriae-reginae I bought recently, the plants really don’t want to let go of those offsets.  I used a flathead screwdriver to carefully wedge the offsets away from the mother plant.  Most of my A. victoriae-reginae offsets already had roots at their base so I was able to immediately pot them  up in a loose sandy media, all of which have rooted into their pots and are putting on noticeable growth today.

 

High Season June 15, 2009

 

The garden is really hitting its stride here as we round the corner of mid-June.  Many flowers have come into bloom, including the ox eye daisies, the coneflowers, and the lavender.  The yarrow is just about to break bud.  The large container I designed has taken on even richer coloring as the hydrangea has turned a deep shade of maroon in the sun.   I moved my large Aeonium ‘Black Rose’ out to sit beside my container planting as I think the near-black purple of its leaves are the perfect compliment to the overall design. 

 

 

 Sedum Hill is growing wild to the point of frustration – I spend far more time “weeding” it than I do on anything else in my ornamental beds.  Still, it’s a repeated favorite of anyone who strolls into my garden so it’s worth the effort.   Speaking of weeds, I’m surprised by how few I have this year.  I am guessing they have gotten choked out by the lush growth of my perennials.  I also make it a point to pull the weeds in the spring as soon as I see them, which no doubt stops them from multiplying and seeding in more.     I spotted a few great beneficial bugs too in my garden and beside it too this week.  Black aphids were densely populating on a few stems here and there and a herd of hungry lady bugs soon followed and knocked down the aphid population very quickly.   I love it when the good guys beat the bad guys!   And nearby was spotted the caterpillar of a monarch butterfly.  This is one beautiful baby!

 

 

Bugs aside, I planted out my zinnia transplants to get my “fence” in the front started again.   Another task that’s taken me quite awhile to complete was putting in three more posts around the perimeter of my ornamental beds so that my various vines can grow up them this summer.  Now I just have to find plenty of willow branches to weave another garland like I have hanging in the front and also to build some “cages” again like I had last year around my unruly salvia plants. 

 

 

A Desert Landscape in Miniature June 11, 2009

 

With my recent budding collection of succulents and cacti, I was inspired to combine a few of my specimens into a miniature desert landscape that could be set into my garden for the summer. Of course, right after putting it out, we have been blasted by daily summer storms which have saturated even this container’s well-drained media. I fear for my cacti’s longevity, but I also feel that if they can’t survive outside for the summer then perhaps they aren’t meant to be in my collection. I really am not a fan of “house plants” except in winter when only my most prized plants retreat inside from the cold. This container will make the cut if it can make it through the rain!

 

In this container are:  Agave victoriae-regina (Queen Victoria Agave), Mammillaria fragilis  (Thimble Cactus), Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Blue Candle Cactus), Kalanchoe luciae (Paddle Plant), Echeveria ‘Red Trump’ (Ruffled Echeveria), and Echeveria ‘Topsy Turvy’

Coveting Thy Neighbor’s… June 10, 2009

Sanguisorba menziesii

 

Cool plants! There are lots of them to be seen among the gardens that surround mine. I took a little photo tour of them today so I could share some with you. What great inspirations for my own garden!  Unfortunately I don’t know the names of some of them, but I plan on finding out just as soon as possible and will label the photos accordingly.

 

 (L) To be Determined and (R) Eremurus bungei

 

(L) Aeoniums with a Sambucus nigra, I think, and (R) Linaria reticulata ‘Flamenco’

Jumping into June June 3, 2009

 

Plenty of growth and blooming in the ornamental beds now that the warm sunny weather is here.  The mornings are still very cool with heavy dew though, which saves me having to water to terribly much.  The Rosa ‘City of York’ is blooming at the garden’s entrance, its old-fashioned heady fragrance providing a warm welcome to visitors.  The Salvia nemorosa ‘Rosenwein’ is putting on a violet-pink show of flower spikes.

 

 

On Thursday evening before running off to an evening class, I plugged in two Iresine lindenii and two Artemisia in the back corner.  I love how the deep amethyst color and hard lines of the Iresine contrast with the soft silver and frilly edges of the Artemisia.  Both of these plants I plan on using as fillers for floral designs as well.

 

 

In the vegetable plot, the lettuce has just about hit its peak and I am harvesting a head a day and chowing down on the delicious tender leaves.  The kohlrabi are coming along too, and I harvested my first one just yesterday.  The peas have been producing nicely for the past week, though I seem to never bring any out of the garden since I somehow manage to eat them all while still working out there.   That’s just dandy as fresh raw peas are far better than any cooked version I know!  The pests seem to be currently kept at bay by the row covers, though they are out and about at this point.    I took out the last of my radishes this week though as the flea bettle had put the foliage past any photosynthetic use.

Sunny Side of Life June 2, 2009

 

Tokens of Appreciation June 2, 2009