Spring 2013

Ya, a L O N G way from this, LOL

Looks great Jen!! :)

What a feeling of accomplishment.Looks great

looks good jen!

thanks!

Hey, Meredith how ya doing???!!!!

I'm good and you? The boy keeps me very busy! Between him and everyone else I am always playing catch up with housework, email, yardwork errands etc. etc. ! lol I'm sure anyone with 4 kids knows how it is! :)

I babysit for my 3 grandkids every Wed.......5, 6, & 8.....yeah, I totally understand!

I don't know how you do it!

work is keeping us very busy, I never know if I'm coming or going

4 kids means VERY busy. I hope you're getting some help, meredith.

Jen's berm looks great! wonderful progress.

oh no.. they are here.. I just squished 2 red lily beetles outside.. we were sparred for so long.. I guess it was just a matter of time

I haven't seen one yet, but I'm going to start spraying now as the lilies emerge.....just can't keep ahead by squishing.....

Sounds like you guys are just as busy! I was putting my Bayer Rose & Flower Care on all my lilies the other day after seeing them here too.

my lilies are only up 2" and I found red lily beetle :(

can't believe they made there way here.. such a bummer

Yup. I don't think mine were more than a 1/2" when I saw one :(

Good to have you back Meredith! I remember all to well the hectic life of 5 kids, my blessings to you sweet one. ^_^

I know systemic is not good for the hummingbirds.. would neem effect them?

this site says no.. but if anyone knows other wise please let me know

http://www.waterwisegardening.com/archives/562

oh no!!!!

The beetles are very quick if you try to catch them.

Thank you Pixie! I'm sneaking some ice cream and DG, but I think I hear the babe stirring on the monitor :( I've tried finding something that shows the systemic product that is in the Bayer would harm Hummingbirds and I have found that most research has shown it does not. At least the ingredient in Bayer.Once the product has dried after the initial watering it is only harmful to leaf chewing insects. Anything it touches with the initial application and watering in until it dries Is harmful. I try to be extremely careful with the times I apply it.

Maybe you will have better luck but Neem did nothing for the Lily Beetles here. It may work if you are diligent with applying after every rain. I think it would be very expensive if it was a rainy year. What I have been trying to do is only have Lilies Roses and Hibiscus in an area with no Butterfly or Hummer plants directly near by. In hopes that it will keep them safe from accidental exposure to the chemicals.

Spray when lilies emerge.Bayer products are great.

systemic fills the inside of the plant .. I would think it would also be in the nectar secreted .. not taking the chance of killing a bunch of them

Since the beetles live in the dirt, I spray the soil now.

some of that will still be absorbed into the plant .. I would think?.. it's bad for the bees too

http://www.ibrattleboro.com/article.php?story=20120327180107290&query=pesticides

add butterflies to that list that can be effected

http://www.gardenguides.com/836-beneficial-insects-boon-butterflies-gardeners-garden-pest-tip.html

I spray the dirt around the top of the emerging lily.

A few blooms

A few more....anyone recognize the yellow flower?

oh is that a yellow fleabane?.. I have a pink one call seabreeze

link for some
http://www.wildgingerfarm.com/Erigeron.htm

I found it, figures it's invasive and aggressive! COLTSFOOT http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1117/

neat leaf.. too bad

:(

Lots of purties this morning!

Boy oh boy!!!. I can relate....4 boys a set of twins in the middle followed 22 months later by the youngest.

Wow Jan!!

I appreciate the thoughts toxicity. I have to spray my hemlocks for scale again, so i'll just keep at the neem oil. For the winter moths, fewer overhead maples this year because of the winter storms

Onewish I'm going to have to look at those links. I realized it has been a couple years since I was trying to find info on it. They may have made some new discoveries against the stuff. I did see that it is not harmful to animals but it is harmful to insects. Also as with anything, you will see repeated wrong info on the internet, whether it says yey or nay to something. It's like a rumor in high school that goes worldwide. lol
I do think I saw one article stating the Bayer Sciencecorp may have been giving misleading info to make their products seem safer. However most of the info I found that showed they thought it was related to honey bee collapse were when it was being used on large scale farms that drilled seeds treated with the active ingredient and had dust overspray. I did find a product that is supposed to be organic but haven't tried it. For me it's either use the Bayer or dig up all my lilies. :( The Lily Beetles actually killed some that hadn't treated thinking it would only make the leaves unsightly. The beetle damage will eventually kill them perhaps unless they are an extra vigorous type.



This message was edited Apr 26, 2013 8:09 AM

I used neem oil for 2 years on the lilies.....the beetles increased, the lilies were eaten to bits......then Karen recommended Monterey from Amazon & it works....don't know the toxicity, though.

visit to local public gardens yesterday, was a little disappointed they didn't have more tulips and their sunny area was lacking...but I guess with the economy the way it is.....
anyhoo, what was blooming was very pretty!
loved the paperbark birch!