Beginner Gardening: List of Plants for Butterflies and Hummingbirds, 0 by wallaby1

wallaby1 wrote:
Hi persevere, I challenge you to live up to your name! Dahlias if grown from seed are less likely to get viruses, as any plant is, viruses mostly come from mass produced stock.

You may find once you have the problem it will take some time to get rid of. As for thrips, well if you try to steer clear of chemicals, and leave the dahlias in the ground, you will find that natures cleaners do the job. I had lots of huge greenfly once, and after building up an eco system I have all the ladybirds, lacewings etc and now have no problem, they are straight onto the job. By thrips I imagine you mean whitefly? these seem to go for stored tubers, and also greenhouse plants, but again I once had them and now do not.

many people believe they should spray everything, but by doing that you will also kill off your friendly bugs, and it's no good doing it as some would suggest in the evening when all have gone to bed, the chemicals are still there for the insect to eat, poisoning the bug that eats it as well.

You do sound to have many lovely butterflies, it is the first year I have had so many, and they get used to you and become your friends. As for the 'common' cabbage white I have changed my view on them after seeing them dance off together in an embracing mating session. Look at this...the one I took after of them together I deleted as last on memory, to get a better shot, and they went!