A few gardening tips to share for roses and lilacs

I learned on TV Saturday that to prevent 'black spot' on your roses you can put 1 part skim milk to 1 part water in a spray bottle and spray the mixture on your roses. (Gardening by the Yard on HGTV)

In another proogram I learned that the reason my Lilacs only bloom on top (where I cant reach them) is because the bush needs to be trimmed by 1/3 each year, also ---- to leave the 'suckers' be after trimming the bush (I'd been removing them - go figure and leaving the older branches) , and also the lilacs like a heavy dose of lime all around each year. (Victory Gardening on Iowa Public Television)

How about some more garedening tips -- anyone?

That's good to know. Thank you. I'm a newbie, and have both, so need all the tips I can get!

I remember reading though that when cutting back a lilac, to only cut off the dead flowers stalks each year, and to do it shortly after the flowers have died. That's what I did to my dwarf korean lilac two summers ago, but last year I left it alone, and got way more growth during the summer. Its a fairly young bush though, I planted it in '02. It's still only knee-high. Great blooms though, and lovely smell.

Roses confuse me. I'm not sure I want them in my garden anymore. They attract all kinds of bugs no matter what I do to try and prevent them. I think they're just too high maintenance for my liking...

I've heard that you can make your own 'bug' spray from boiling garlic and onions and using just the liquid diluted with water and adding a teaspoon of liquid dish detergent in a quart srayer to spray on plants. But I'm also not an expert, I tend to do what ever I see on TV or hear through Daves garden forums. I've only been a Daves Garden member since November 2004, so I'm new her too. Welcome to Daves Garden Ceedub! :) , Jill

Thanks momof2d, I've been around here awhile, still learning though. I have garlic planted around my rose bush. I don't know what its supposed to do, so I don't know if it works. It got major black spots on the leaves last year and aphids like crazy. Slugs also inhabit the garden bed, but I now know what to do for them. I got rid of that rose bush last fall, and now have another type of rose but I'm not sure I'll keep it. We can't use insecticides, which is just as well; I think I'd rather have plants that don't attract bugs like the rose does. My clematis, right next to the rose, has always been bug free. Go figure. That onion/garlic/detergent spray sounds interesting. I'll probably try it, mmmm, must smell good cooking!

you can spray for bugs, inside or out with rubbing alcohol!

Coffee grinds are a great way to keep out pests and slugs from any garden area, roses thrive off of them too.

This message was edited Feb 25, 2005 11:09 PM

Wouldn't alcohol be hard on the plants?...but if not, so easy! I get problems with my roses every year (blackspot, mildew, and some really pretty little blue and red striped bug I never could identify...it eats my rose flowers. but I care well for the soil and they always fight back. I peeked under the leaves and such today and the covered parts look really good. I want to free them soon, but I need to wait. They say to prune when the forsythia blooms.
Anyone got an idea on the tiny blue and red striped bug? They're really pretty, but destructive. It was too small to get a picture.

I dont know about alcohol, maybe it should be diluted, I know you have to dilute the onion/garlic/dishsoap water so it is'nt so harsh on the foilage.

I've heard the coffee grounds thing too, as well as 'eggshells' for roses too.

And after watching these gardening programs I plan on buying alot of cheap cayene (spelling) pepper to sprinkle around my bulbs when planting.

Jill

My mother use to put all her egg shells in an old gallon glass bottle filled with water and would use it to water her house plants and roses as well. Didn't smell too good but it seemed to work alright.. About alcohol in the garden, kind of gives a new meaning to being "potted"!!

Snipper --- too funny! LOL!