If you have a small Japanese beetle invasion, or you’ve decided not to use an insecticide, there are some tips you can utilize when hand-picking them. First, the JB response to disturbance is to drop straight down from the plant. You can position your bucket of soapy water beneath the branch you’re tapping and use…
Category: Annuals
National Pollinator Week: Soldier Beetles
What a happy combination—soldier beetles and butter daisies! The soldier beetle, Chauliognathus spp., is a ½ inch long insect that gets its name from its wing covers, which resemble a uniform. It may remind you of the lighting bug, and rightly so, since they are related. Both the larvae and adults of soldier beetles feed…
Right Plant, Right Place
By now, many garden enthusiasts are familiar with the phrase, Right Plant, Right Place (RPRP). Yet, still many others are not. Our Master Gardeners talk with them every day. Whichever camp you fall into, a brief primer can be helpful. RPRP is a guiding principle whose only goal is to achieve success with every tree,…
Plant a Miniature Garden for the Wee Folk!
A miniature garden is fun to put together and does not require a large investment of money. Whether your preferred wee folk are fairies, gnomes or elves, it’s a great recycling effort to use things you’d throw out, find in the yard and score from garage sales. Rule number 1 is there’s a good…