Mid-Atlantic Gardening: FIRST FLOWERS OF SUMMER!! Early July Edition :), 3 by CatMint20906

CatMint20906 wrote:
No powdery mildew, SSG! Here's a photo of my clump of cosmos--it came up so quickly after sowing, and I've had blooms for weeks now--they keep coming up. The zinnia has only just bloomed after all this time. They were sown on the same day.

thanks, Muddy and Greenthumb--glad I'm not the only one in this area who's had trouble with lupine. That's a good point about the number of 90+ weather days we have each summer, SSG! According to MoBot re: lupine: "Plants grow well in the cool summers of the West coast, Pacific Northwest, northern U. S., southern Canada and New England. Plants dislike the heat and humidity in USDA Zones 7-9 in the deep South where they may be best grown as annuals"--haha or not grow at all!!

Seq, I think the better question is, 'Do you want a garden devoid of life or one that's full of life?' For me, I love a garden that's full of life, and an empty one feels almost dead to me--like something vital is missing--no matter how green the plants or pretty the blooms. Moth species outnumber butterfly species by a fantastic rate. I've read that worldwide there are about 12-15,000 species of butterflies and 150-250,000 species of moths; here in North America, there are about 750 species of butterflies to 11,000 species of moths. That's a huge ratio! So basically, anyone who wants butterflies has to be willing to endure the moths as well. Besides, moths are *great* bird food! :-) And of course, just because a particular plant could *potentially* attract a species doesn't mean it will. So, this year I'm taking the stance that, for the most part, a plant that's been insect-bitten is a plant that's being enjoyed by someone besides me. :-)

I've taken 'must eradicate' stances twice so far this year. Once was with the ailing rosebush which was so full of leafminers and blooming so poorly that I decided to cut it back down to the roots--and lo and behold found a split, diseased base trunk. However, amazingly enough the roots have put out new growth! The other time was just this weekend when I found early stages of webworm in two places in the front yard (I had a little trouble with this last summer as well). I cut the affected plants back and sprayed the area with Neem, and also stomped on the little hopping nymphs for a while till I couldn't see them anymore. okay, I did my best--and will keep an eye on things out there. And wouldn't you know it, out from one of the plants hopped a young praying mantis, which had been feasting on the webworm--nature's own pest control. And to be honest, with all the beneficials-attracting herbs/plants I have around, I think most of my plants look pretty healthy, despite the occasional insect-feast marks. ;-)

I've also done minimal lawn mowing this year--just a few times in the spring growing season. At this point, the growing has stopped and the grass has flattened out, especially in areas where I walk frequently. It's nice--I just noticed this weekend that when I go outside I can hear the crickets chirping sweetly in the yard anytime of day. This was not true last year with biweekly mowing all season. And the skippers love it!

So, it's not that I *want* cornflower borers in my yard, of course, but I do want the skippers, and it seems when it comes to pollinator gardening, we often take the good with the bad, or find nonchemical ways to manage.

1) Cosmos
2) Closeup of my rosebush growing back around the stump that was diseased
3) The rosebush now--much healthier looking
4) My lawn, not mowed in weeks now but not at all tall & overgrown the way I imagined it would be