Mid-Atlantic Gardening: bugs and diseases treating your plants?, 5 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Before I start this long-Post-to-be---please know that you are all my ONLY "family" and I want to share
all that is going on in my garden. Glad to do this on the "appropriate" Thread....
I will tell the tale--post the pictures--and hope you understand my frustration with Spider Mites this summer.
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This morning--after breakfast--around 10:30AM--I decided to go out and just walk my garden and see what's what....
Maybe pull a few weeds--check on the watering status, etc.....NO other big plans.

The East side of my Patio has a, sort of, "Privacy planting" of two OLD, large Burning Bushes which I started in the
70's sometime. (See Picture #1). I LIKE them! Keeps anyone East of my house seeing what is going on.
Nothing nowadays--But--plenty in years past....Party Central!

Now all the B.B.'s sold are a dwarf size. Got mine in the early 70's from a local Nursery. These grow tall.
Every other year--I have to cut them back to maybe 5'. They re-grow annually--and provide me shade and privacy
from the East side of my property.
There are also at least two birds that fight/claim yearly nesting rights in these two old shrubs. Catbirds--I believe...
Their screeching and yelling and protective behavior gives them away.

Anyway---This morning I walked outside and, to my dismay, The S.M.'s had seriously hit my old shrubs.
This happens, to a lesser degree, every year--but this was totally destructive. Disastrous!!!
On the patio side of these shrubs--the leaves were dropping like flies....The ground was littered below them--
as was the patio floor. See Picture #2.

Here is a picture of the affected leaves--Pic. #3 Sad looking!!
Here is a picture of healthy leaves from the same shrub. Pic. #4.

Now--FYI--I have always had a "table" made of 8'x2' plywood, sitting on cinder blocks, that I use as a table to
keep many plants on. Tried to find a picture--but could not....On this "table" I keep my Clivias and many other
no-attention-needed-plants. My Pregnant Onions--this and that rooting--as they would get total shade until they do.

Looking at he Horrors i saw--I started out on a "master plan" in my head. AHEM....

Disassembled the WHOLE plywood "table" set-up. Lots of work--but it will give me a clearer idea.
In so doing--I saw the termite damage between the 2 layers of plywood that made up the "table"
...All the tunnels---GEEZ!!! HOW dare they!!!! Now--I have to get out the "Home Defense Spray--- GONE!!!
OK! Done! Did NOT plan on all this.....

NOW!!!! I MUST rake up all the fallen leaves from under the shrubs. Clean is good! Right?
BUT--cannot get to all the dropped leaves stuck at the bases of the shrubs.
AHA!!!! Get out my Shredder/Blower and blow them out from all the bottoms of the shrubs.
So far--SO good----Now all the leaves are. again, all over my patio floor....

Broom in hand--sweep--sweep---rake--rake---gather with my dust pan and put it in the two trash bags
to be picked up tonight as trash. WILL NOT save this crap for recycling!!!
All is cleaned up and sprayed now....Also mulched. See Pic. #5

Now--to decide on re-assembling the tables--or re-ddoing the way I use my two tables
in the space I have....Think....Think...have a cold beer---Think some more....
Think...Think....Seems like too huge an effort. "Fiddle-De-Dee-- I will worry about it tomorrow!!!"
Borrowed from "Gone With the Wind". I will worry about it tomorrow! I only work ONE day a week nowadays.
Lots of time for gardening chores...and all kinds of other "things to do"....

Assemble back the way all the tables were. Could not, realistically, think of a different way to do this.
Put all mu plants back on the "table" as they were.
Clean up-and I am done for the day. It is now 3:45PM. I am exhausted. Drenched....

Turn the hose on--wash my face and my hair. Go inside and chill....
So much for a casual walk in my garden this morning....

A Day in y life of my Gardening......Gita

edited to say that picture #3 should be Picture #5. Sorry!!!















This message was edited Jul 17, 2012 6:25 PM