Xylem & Phloem

Knock Out Rose plants get a lot of flack, but you have to admit that they ROCK in the garden. Specially bred, Knock Outs provide spectacular color throughout the spring, summer and fall, and they resist most of the diseases that afflict roses.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my beautiful Rainbow Knock Out plants looked as if someone had attacked with a hole puncher! The leaves have neat, circular holes in them, and I've never able to pinpoint the culprit until now. Thanks to a recent article in the Rocky Mountain News, I now know that these holes are signing of the leafcutter bee.

I love gardening because I learn something new every day! 

Posted by Callie at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just when I think I can get away with ignoring my winter crop of lettuce, the temperature climbs to the 70s and my lettuce is covered in insects! I'm pretty sure these are aphids (the kind that are brown in color) and they were very happy to destroy my Romaine and start in on my Buttercrunch.

The Romaine could not be salvaged and had to be thrown out. Though I would rather not use systemic organic pest controls in order to protect beneficial insects, I treated the remaining lettuce heads that were not as badly infested with Neem oil and strong blasts of water to knock off the aphids.

Aphids also cropped up on my Moonflower seedlings. I did another Neem treatment and some water blasts - hopefully they will be spared any damage.

Continue reading "Spring is Around the Corner, And So Are the Pests" »

Posted by Callie at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)