Rose Garden Pests

Archive for November, 2009

The Rose Garden’s Ten Most Wanted List

November 30th, 2009

The following insects have made it to the Rose Garden’s Ten Most Wanted list. Read carefully so you can identify them and eradicate them from your garden.

1. Aphids

Aphids top this list because they are the most frequent rose pest. They love to nestle into the buds and shoots of rose bushes. While low to moderate levels of aphids will not do much harm to your roses, you need to keep an eye on how they spread. High numbers of aphids will produce a lot of honeydew. This substance encourages mold growth and will eventually cause your rose leaves to blacken. You may notice that your flowers shrink in size and the buds may even be killed. Lady beetles and syrphid flies are the natural enemies to aphids and will keep the population under control. You can also spray the plant with water or insecticidal soap. Aphids are usually a problem during spring and early summer. Unless you have a really heavy infestation, it is uncommon to have to use insecticides against them.

2. Spider Mites

If you notice your rose leaves are stippled or dried up and dropping to the ground, you may be infested with spider mites. These little insects are so tiny you may need a magnifying glass to see them. They like dry, dusty conditions. You can control spider mites by providing a little more water to your roses to cut down on dust.

3. Fuller Rose Beetles

Adult Fuller Rose beetles will eat at the flowers and leaves on your roses. Look for ragged edges on your foliage and blooms. They eat at night and hide all day on the underside of leaves. The best way to control them is to pick them by hand, since pesticides are not effective against them.

4. Thrips

Thrips leave brown streaks down the flower petals. When roses are planted close together thrips can become a big problem because it is easy for them to move from plant to plant. They like light colored or white roses best. Pesticides are only effective against thrips during their developmental stage. If you notice a thrip problem, clip and dispose of all infected blossoms.

5. Caterpillars

Some caterpillars do eat rose leaves. If you find any, remove the rolled up leaves and cut off any buds that have been damaged. Usually, caterpillars won’t harm the plant enough to make any permanent damage.

5. Rose Slug

The rose slug is actually the larva of a sawfly. They look like caterpillars since they have legs. Wash them off with a good spray of water or let one of their natural enemies do the dirty work for you.

7. Leafcutter Bees

Leafcutter bees cut semi-circular holes in rose leaves to take back to their nests. There is really no way to fight them other than killing them. It is recommended by many sources not to kill bees since they do all the pollinating, so you may just need to put up with this.

8. Rose Curculio

Yellow and white roses are the preferred targets of rose curculios. They are only about a quarter inch long, but that doesn’t stop them from punching holes in buds and flowers. The larvae eat developing buds, so the blossoms are killed before they even have an opportunity to open. You can get an insecticide against rose curculios at your local garden center.

9. Flat headed Borers

Flat headed borers will kill the canes. With enough damage, they can kill the entire plant. Remove any infested material and keep your roses healthy by not over pruning in the summer. Make sure your roses get enough water.

10. Scale Insects

Scale also poses a threat to your rose canes. Scale insects have armored scales. When you see them on a plant they look like gray round or oval bumps. They really don’t move since they have no legs, so once you see them, you know where they are. The best way to combat scale insects is to prune infected canes and put pesticide oil on the canes that are left.

Canadian Gardening

November 29th, 2009

People around the world tend to have a prejudice about the prospects of Canadian gardening or simply, the gardening in Canada. Its position in North America, to the north of United States and near the artic circle adds an air of chill to the whole subject. In fact, it is cold there in Canada and hence a common man cannot be out rightly blamed for his mental picture about the horticultural scene of Canada. But, in reality, the climate does not prevent one from pursuing Canadian gardening.

The widely populated areas of Canada such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and the Western Provinces, has an agreeable weather and hence is wholly suited both to horticultural pursuits and to the development of the highest type of civilization. Now, the basic knowledge one should have about Canadian gardening or generally, any type of gardening that is, gardening design operations are determined by the summer season rather than winter. And mind you, Canada has a distinctive summer season, though short in duration than a typical Florida summer. In fact, the Canadian summer is highly adapted to grow fruits like apple, plum, pear and peach and kinds of forest and ornamental trees; all hardy shrubs, roses, and of course every popular genus of hardy perennials, such as peonies, irises and delphiniums.

Province wise, it is found that Canadian gardening is strong and flourished where English sections of the populations live. It is something they attribute to their mother country. With respect to the kinds of plants widely grown and the types of design followed, whether in cottage gardens, large private estates or public parks, there is hardly any difference one could find in the Canadian gardening in comparison with the US style of gardening.

The seasons of Canada can be broadly classified as early spring, late spring, early summer, late summer, autumn and winter. The plants typical for these climates also obviously vary. But, from the beautiful bulbs for springtime and shrubs, small trees and climbers for autumn delight to stunning evergreens for winter and year-round interest, the choices are plenty in Canadian gardening. In the hands of a creative gardener, the choices available are more than enough to realize a unique Canadian gardening experience.

In Canadian gardening, as a first step, gather a good idea about the conditions suitable for the plants you plan to grow. Generally the place should have enough sunlight and good drainage. The fertility factor is self assuming and hence not mentioning in detail. Go for native plants so that it has a good chance for longer survival. When it comes to fertilizers and pest killing, it is better to go for natural choices than chemical ones. The less you use chemical compounds, the better your garden and its vegetables will become. Flex your muscles to pull out the weeds (it will make a good physical exercise as well).

One can have a beautiful and eye-catching garden with a little amount of planning and creative acumen. With some application, any one can have a stunning Canadian garden at his backyard or patio. But Canadian gardening is not as simple as it appears. Canadian gardening requires constant care and nourishment, almost in a daily basis. Enjoy the journey of Canadian gardening and see how well it works out for you. It is all about learning to live alongside the nature and its greenery, whatever the climatic constraints may be.

How to attract bees to your garden

November 28th, 2009

Why would you want bees in your garden? Bees are the pollinators. As such, they are essential to the propagation of most of your plantings. Seeking nectar for honey-making, these busybodies zip from flower to flower. They take what they need and cross-fertilize the flowers for reproduction.

Nearly 5,000 species of bees make their home in the U.S. Most of these will not sting humans, unless they are threatened. Without their assistance, plants would not bear fruit.

If your garden includes plants that offer bees what they seek, they will be eager to visit.

Most important, try to incorporate local plants, whenever possible. At least, look for flora that is native to your region. This will appeal most to bees in your neighborhood too.

Select many colorful flowers and herbs that appeal to bees. Gardens containing a dozen or more types of apian-attractive plants will draw the most. Arrange plants in like groupings. The bigger the clumps of flowers, the denser your bee population will be.

Include a rainbow of colors in your garden. Bees have excellent color vision. Bright colors attract them, as they seek nectar. Favorite colors seem to be yellow, violet, blue, purple, and orange.

Be sure to plant several varieties of bee-attracting plants, so you will have blooms throughout the spring, summer, and fall. This way, you will have a continuous buzzing population of pollinators!

Look for fragrant flowers and herbs that contain plenty of pollen. Spring choices might include calendas, larkspur, lilacs, poppies, wallflowers, and daisies. Summer bloomers could be anemones, basils, catnip, daylilies, lavender, lilies, lupine, roses, rosemary, thyme, and yarrow. Later highlights for bees might be asters, black-eyed Susans. coneflowers, coreopsis, cosmos, heliopsis, salvias, and verbenas.

Of course, fruit-bearing shrubs and trees are magnets for bees. Berries are too.

If you roll out the welcome mat, by planting what they like, the bees will swarm to your garden. Soon, you will reap the benefits, as your flowers multiply and your trees and shrubs bear fruit!

BE SMART:

Perfume and bright-colored clothing will also attract bees, so be careful! It’s a good idea to wear gardening gloves when you reach into your plantings, just in case.

Gardening as therapy

November 27th, 2009

My garden gives me herbs, flowers and vegetables but these things are secondary to my garden’s true purpose. It is my natural therapist and saves me hundreds of dollars that I might otherwise spend on counsellors, psychologists or tranquilisers and sleeping pills.

Instead, after a hard day at work, where I am not allowed to react in normal human ways to swearing, rudeness, bullying and disruption (yes, I am a high school teacher), I head for my garden. They say that modern stress is caused by the inability to beat the stuffing out of someone who deserves it. Our ancestors used violence to solve problems; our bodies and the reptilian parts of our lower brain still want to act that way. Civilisation dictates we learn new behaviour patterns and new ways to solve problems. I am doing my best with to develop positive behaviour and other strategies but sometimes I just long for the return of the cane and sometimes I need release and therapy.

I rip into the weeds first and go into Red Queen Mode: “Off with their Heads!” Slash them, stomp on them, rip their roots out and throw them in the compost heap. “How dare you grow in my garden, you useless weeds!” I can rant at them all I like and even use ‘colourful language’ that, as a teacher, I really shouldn’t use at school. But having heard those words coming out of the sweetest little mouths, I sometimes need to shout them out myself.

Then I perform search and destroy missions on bugs. I zoom around my garden like a world war I sopwith camel. performing acrobatic maneuvers to find the prey and blast them out of the air or off the leaf. I am not much on chemicals so i mostly grab and crush, then stomp their measly bodies into the ground. “Off with their heads! How dare they invade my garden and make my red roses turn white?” Get thee to the compost heap!” The bugs and the weeds shiver in their respective jointed legs and roots when they hear me coming.

Don’t get me wrong here. I don’t imagine my students’ faces on those bugs no matter how much they mayt ‘bug’ me. I believe that children have inherently good natures and it is nurture and the environment that lead to most ‘bad’ behaviours. I try as much as possible to forgive and, if not forget, at least start over the next day. But being only human, I need an outlet for my frustrations and the garden is as good place as any for that outlet.

There is a positive side to the therapy too, thank goodness. Once I have expended that negative energy, it’s time to enjoy all the positives of the garden. I water by trickle irrigation but sometimes I put on a hose and make rainbows with the water in the sunlight. Who can remain angry or stressed when looking at a rainbow? My flowers are a rainbow of colors too and they can soothe a tortured soul with their color therapy. I think they are like the majority of my students – beautiful souls who need to be nurtured and cultivated in order to bloom. The flowers remind me why I am a teacher.

As well as color therapy, I can get a good dose of aromatherapy too. I can pick rosemary, basil and oregano leaves and create soothing scents that clear my head and ease my heart. At the last, my negativities spent on weeds and pests, my heart soothed by herbs, flowers and the sweet taste of a home grown strawberry, I simply sit in my garden, listening to the birds, watching the clouds scud by and making plans for new plantings. Then I head back to the house, knowing that in the morning, refreshed and renewed, I can go off to work again in peace. That’s therapy for you!

The Art Of Growing Roses

November 27th, 2009

So you want to grow roses? They are a beautiful choice for your garden and not nearly as difficult to grow as you might think.

1. Choose a rose that is easy to grow. Some choices might be ‘Sunsprite’, ‘Baby Love’, ‘The Fairy’, ‘Iceberg’, or ‘Flower Carpet’. Also check to see which roses do well in your climate. When choosing a rose think about the colors and fragrance that appeals to you.

2. Understand the soil type and provide good drainage. Use organic matter to make your soil better for the roses. Plant your roses correctly and in the best place in your garden for the rose’s success.

3. Know how often to water and how much water to give the roses. Too much water is not good so develop a watering schedule and stick to it.

4. Understand how the different types of water systems work. You can choose from sprinklers, an underground watering system or a drip irrigation system. It is usually good to keep the water off the leaves if you live in an area where rose diseases are a problem.

5. Mulching keeps the water in and the weeds away. Mulching is a very good idea when growing roses. Mulch in the early spring when you remove the protective coverings from winter. If you live in a warmer climate spread the mulch just before the roses start to leaf out.

6. Learn the kinds of nutrients your roses need and follow a specific fertilizing program. When growing roses it is important to test the pH of your soil. If the pH is right the roots can interact with the enzymes and bacteria in the soil and do well with the natural nutrients and the ones you add. The pH can be between 5.6 and 7.2 however 6 to 6.5 is best. By testing the soil you will know which nutrients to add.

7. Learn how to prune your roses. Pruning keeps the roses healthy and looking good.

8. Prevent pest and disease problems before they happen. Learn how to control pests and choose safe pest control products.

Growing roses is a delightful hobby and not nearly as complicated as you might have heard.

Rose Garden Pests

Archive for November, 2009

The Rose Garden’s Ten Most Wanted List

Related Posts:

Canadian Gardening

Related Posts:

How to attract bees to your garden

Related Posts:

Gardening as therapy

Related Posts:

The Art Of Growing Roses

Related Posts: