Garden Journal ~ New House Design

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Garden Journal

Posted by MAKMU ta On Tuesday, June 07, 2011 No comments

On the Brink of Summer

Officially, summer is a couple of weeks off. But, here in the South, summer type weather began a few weeks back. We have been experiencing temperatures in the high 90's, high humidity and no rain. These are trying times. Watering, watering, watering!

To top it off I have discovered the Japanese Beetle has descended upon my garden. Their favorite dining is on my roses and crape myrtle.

The Unwelcome Japanese Beetle

The Welcomed Bee

My roses are on the brink of their second flush of blooming.

I went outside anticipating some of them to have opened to find them looking like this.

There's not much you can do - I don't like the bags - it draws them - I have tried a systemic product - doesn't seem to repel them. So, early in the mornings, I take a plastic container filled with soapy water. I check my blooms - attempt to tap the beetle into the soapy water - with some success. Not only are they damaging as adults - they are damaging as larvae - there are products to address that too. This doesn't last forever, but it is one of those seasonal things we endure - do you have them in your garden?

Some Happy Blooms

On a lighter note -

I seem to have an abundance of birds - Bluejays, Cardinals, Chickadees, Mockingbirds, Woodpeckers, House Wrens and what they call Cow Birds. Cheep, cheep, cheeping away in my garden. It is something to me that the Bluejay doesn't have a pretty song. -

I'll have to spend some very patient time getting pictures - there's a family of

Bluejays in this tree - keeping very quiet while I'm near!