Hello my dear gardening friends,

I told you that we would have a wonderful Indian Summer and here it is – hopefully we will get another one in October. I found this wonderful poem in a book the other day and thought that I would share it with you. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote it after he met a number of farmers planning to kill as many birds as possible. The farmers were sure that the birds were eating huge amounts of their seed crops. They were about to make a huge mistake, for if they killed all the birds, then the insect population would grow so fast that they, the insects would eat far more seeds than the birds ever had.

Anyway it gave Longfellow the idea to write : -
You call them thieves and pillagers; but know, They are the winged wardens of your farms,
Who from the cornfields drive the insidious foe,
And from your harvests keep a hundred harms,
Even the blackest of them all, the crow,
Renders good service as your man-at-arms,
Crushing the beetle in his coat of mail, And crying havoc on the slug and snail

It is time to talk a little more about insects. When controlling them we can declare all-out war – or try and be a bit more than persuasive. All-out-war, means that we cover the garden with “stuffs” that are non-selective – killing everything. I am talking about insecticide and pesticides. I am pleased to say that this practice is dying; many garden centres no longer carry toxic chemicals. This is good news indeed for everybody, birds, pets, good insects and, of course, we humans. The persuasive approach is much better - less dramatic perhaps, but safer and even more effective. The only problem is that you have to do it in various stages - but it does put you in more control of your garden.

Once again low maintenance starts with the plants that you choose to grow, for some are more susceptible to pests and diseases than others. If you eliminate or reduce the pest-appealing varieties, you automatically reduce the problems. Some of the more highly susceptible plants are as follows :-

Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) – susceptible to Diploidia tip blight . This is devastating for trees, and there is no effective treatment.
Birch trees– susceptible to Birch leaf miner. The small worms live inside birch leaves eating the inner cells and turning the tree (leaves) brown in mid-summer.
Crab-apple trees - susceptible to Apple scab, rust, fire blight and other problems. Some varieties are resistant to one or more of these pests, but they do remain a problem plant.
Hawthorn – susceptible to rust and various other diseases.
Hostas – these plants are quite susceptible to slugs. Please do not use this as an excuse not to grow these beautiful plants, wonderful in the shade. Slugs seem to prefer the white areas of the variegated varieties, leaving the thick fleshy ones, like Big daddy, alone – at least in my garden – sooo stay away from the thin leafed variegated ones, and the slugs might eat elsewhere. The variegated ones are beautiful, you can try a fairly wide band of sand around them, for as the slug crosses the sand it “nicks’ its poor wet body and dries up; as terrible children we put salt on the poor things!!
Hybrid tea roses – susceptible to developing aphids, black spot and mildew.
Marigolds – susceptible to slugs and spider mites – yes this is true. Someone once started a rumour that all marigolds repelled those nasties, and that we should all plant them everywhere in our gardens. Not so! Two or three varieties do seem to work a little, but do not rely on marigolds to keep away those unwanted insects!!
Phlox and zinnias – both have mildew problems – they need lots of air around them, look for the mildew resistant varieties.

Some attractive plants are too tough for pests to bother with, and a few have developed a defence against some of the common destructive insects. Good choices for your garden are: the strong and silent Rudbeckia family (cone flowers, black-eyed Susans), Sedum, Daylilys (providing that they escape the lily beetle) and perennial Geraniums, which are also called Cranesbill. The more that you have of these, the healthier your garden and less work for you.

Other plants have a different mechanism, attracting good bugs to kill and eat those bad guys. It really is a jungle out there! The good ones include: Ladybugs, lace wings and praying mantis. Lady bugs and lace wings will gobble up aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites, scale, thrips and white flies. Praying mantis will eat anything that moves and contains protein – even us if they were the size of a cocker spaniel.

Ladybugs will be attracted to your garden if you plant most members of the daisy family; I knew that there was a reason that I loved daisies! Yarrow, tansy and cosmos, especially the “White Sensation” variety. Also, try dill, fennel, parsley and mint; remember to grow mint in a bottomless bucket.

Lace wings, etc. should be released in the evening when it is cool; if you release them in the daytime, they will migrate to your neighbours gardens. When purchased, the bugs will be de-hydrated and looking for a drink of water, so be sure that you have shallow containers of water or wet pebbles ready for them, or just spray the foliage where you want them with your hose and let the bugs free as close to the water supply as possible.

Encourage the birds to your garden; feed them, especially in the winter when they are looking for extra protein; leave the berries on the shrubs, seeds on the flowers (e.g. rudbeckia) and the birds will be frequent visitors. Not only will the birds be happy, they will repay you, for any seeds that fall to the ground and are not eaten, will be little plants in the spring, sometimes they are not in the right place (especially when they have been eaten and then deposited – re-cycled?). Just get out that hoe and remove them, better yet re-plant these little darlings where they should be.

Toads are wonderful in the garden, however, they do eat everything in sight, both good and bad insects. I saw a toad catch a fly the other day, it was very impressive, it was just sitting there minding its own business when the fly went by – out came the tongue and no more fly!! Take a broken flowerpot (clay) and turn it upside down in a damp spot, leaving a “door” for the toad to use and you will have tenant in no time. I saw a snake with one in its mouth – I ran out picked up the snake and shook it until it let the toad go; wonder if it got warts on its tongue!!

If you have a bird bath, place a stone or two in it, making sure that the stone juts above the surface of the water where the insects can land for a drink. Make sure that you change the water regularly – you do not want to be supplying an incubator for mosquitoes!!!

Practice good clean-ups, for many insects hide in the garden trash. Whilst you are out checking the garden, pick up and place all dead leaves, flowers and other debris into the compost. Not only will the garden look tidier, but think of the exercise you are getting with all that bending and stretching. (Some of my customers, who are less than avid gardeners often tell me that this activity makes them quite aware of muscles they didn’t know they owned!)

Sometimes it is necessary to apply sterner measures – but please be very careful; too many people rush out and spray, massacring large amounts of destructive insects immediately, but like our friend “Mr Toad”, they kill everything. Really, insecticides are much worse than toads, killing all the garden life, birds, pets, and, if you are not careful, you and your family, shades of Agatha Christie – just as deadly.

Do not panic and overreact. I know that it is hard to find a herd of aphids on your roses; they will not kill it and there is no need for a heavy dose of bug killer. Rather take your hose and a strong spray will knock them off, whilst they are staggering around stunned and confused – something usually comes along and gobbles them up – those birds for instance that the farmers wanted to kill!!! You can use a hand pump, with a spray of warm water and soap, 2 tablespoons of biodegradable soap in 1 – litre of warm water – shake well and spray.

One of the worst bugs is the Japanese beetle. It has bronze wings, eating almost everything that it lands upon. Many people try controlling them with traps, but I have found that this attracts more of them to your garden (unless you sneak over the fence and place the traps in the next door neighbours garden). They are easily spotted, usually on the underside of leaves, especially when the afternoon sun shines upon them. Here are the best ways to identify and kill them in descending order of preference:

1) Hand-pick them from your plants. Wearing garden gloves if you wish, but do it early in the morning as this is the best time for your garden “walkabout”. At this time the wings on the beetle are still wet from the evening dew while the rest of the beetle is still sluggish. You can either crush them between your fingers, stomp on them, or drop them into a jar of alcohol – do not drink it afterwards!! This is specially easy to do, when you find them while they are doing those obscene things right out in the open – you not only scoop up two at once, but raise your and the garden’s moral(e) environment.
2) Scoop them into wide mouthed jars if you can’t bear to handle something so small and ugly; place the jar beneath the leaves and, as they fly downwards, use the cover to guide them into the jar, which contains water, with a few drops of oil in it. Replace the cover and drown the poor little things; revenge for the havoc they have wreaked on your garden is sweet indeed.

Q) How do I get rid of cabbage worms??
A) The cabbage worm is the destructive larva of the common white butterfly. It is a velvety green and little more than an inch long, feeding on cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and Brussels sprouts. Best approach: Pick them off and stomp on them! If you must spray, make sure that you use the pesticide at least two weeks before harvesting. Do ask someone knowledgeable about sprays, but I would try soap, water with a half cup of ammonia before anything else.
I loved the following story: Like all of us, a woman loved her garden and especially sharing her knowledge and plants. One year she had a magnificent show of marigolds in a large bed in her garden. Of course the next spring she had thousands of tiny green seedlings. She thinned them out, and because she was like all of us and couldn’t bear to throw them away, she potted them up and distributed the seedlings amongst her friends and neighbours. The seedlings weren’t marigolds of course, but for weeks everyone was feeding, watering and coaxing these little rascals toward maturity – until reality and truth arrived – they were a particularly nasty weed. Now everyone makes a point of buying plants in flower from the local nursery. This does not happen with our plant sale (Lakefield Horticultural Society) I am quick to point out!!!

Once again I have been asked when should I plant my tulip bulbs. Tulips can be planted until the ground freezes; however, September and October provide excellent conditions not only for the bulbs but for you too, no frosty fingers. If you prepare the beds and plan the display, you will enjoy your tulips all the more next spring. There are so many varieties and colours, in so many shapes and sizes that tulips are the highlight of many spring gardens. As there is so little difference in the cost of bulbs, do purchase the more expensive larger ones. This is one place where quality really does count.

Q) We are moving and I would like to take my Butterfly bush with me, is this good time to move it??
A) No!! A Butterfly bush (buddleia) should not be moved until the spring – they are not expensive and I would purchase another one in the spring, leaving yours where it is, unless you can make an agreement with the new owners to collect it next year. In the spring, of course.

Some bushes that should not be moved now are: Spice bush, hawthorn, sumac, magnolia, tamarisk, Japanese snowball or viburnum. Wait until spring before moving any of the above shrubs.

Q) Is it too late in the year to compost garden soil for my houseplants for use this winter??
A) I am afraid so, for this winter at least. It takes a full year to compost potting soil. Cut sod four or five inches thick from clean pasture or lawn (or purchase sod) placing it face down in layers as the pile builds up. Add well-rotted manure between the layers, which saves you the task of adding it later on. Turn the pile several times during the summer – and low and behold potting soil; however, most garden centres still have lots of potting soil so I would purchase it already made. You can add supplements if you like, but I think that in the long run it will be cheaper and less work for you. After all you have lots of other things to do before the winter.

Q) Would you review a potting mix “recipe”???
A) A good general potting mix may be made by taking seven parts of compost, or good garden soil, two parts organic matter, well rotted-leaf mould or peat, one part well-rotted manure and two parts building sand (no salt). It is usually wise to add a four inch pot of super-phosphate to each wheel barrow load or each two and a half bushels. Mix all the ingredients well before the soil is used. If the soil is not particularly rich, add another four inch pot of 5-5-5 fertiliser.

My dear fellow gardeners, my washing machine is still dead, but there is hope on the horizon, a dear friend has offered the extra one in their home, but my beautiful car has gone to the garage in the sky I am afraid – Even Doug couldn’t fix it.

Happiness to you all, enjoy this glorious weather, plant some bulbs, perennials and anything else that you can scrounge from the next door neighbour. Now you cottagers, keep your hands off the gardens next to you, the folk will be back for Thanksgiving, and how will you explain that the rabbits left those holes in the ground !???

Good Gardening to us all, hats, gloves, sunscreen, bug repellent, yes they are still around.

Lovingly, Beryl