This has been the worst year ever in my corner of west Michigan for bugs and August like weather. My entire rose crop was destroyed by Rose Chafers and I have some little beetle ruining my herbs. Its a little striped beetle that makes brown spots on the foliage. Our grass that is in full sun is dried up and crunchy.
Anybody else having this type of depressing stuff going on besides me? :(
Bugs & drought - worst June ever! :(
yes neighbor....many of my plants are stunted this year. Not sure if it is from the late frost or the lack of rain - despite my watering continually.
And would you believe I've found japanese beetles already..the hunt is on !
I also have little gray, furry bugs on the undersides of my coneflowers- any idea what those nasties are? And my gorgeous (last year) dahlias look pitiful...short, stunted and yellowy in color. So sad.
My climbing rose New Dawn is looking terrible, lots of dead wood on it and leaves are not looking good. It has been very dry here and I am already seeing grasshoppers which I usually don't see till late July or early August. Several of my daylily plants have buds that are shriveling up and falling off. We need rain bad!!!!
Hemlady...............you remember my New Dawn Rose on my fence, well all of the canes were dead after spring.....not sure if it was the weird weather we had this spring or what.....I had to cut it all back to the plant...I was so sure the plant had died, but its coming back now and starting to climb and make new canes.....I don't think I will get roses this year......probably next.....
Deann
Deann some of my hardiest roses that stay green to the tips all winter died back this year. Some to the snowline ! I think due to the unseasonably mild weather last December - January, then getting suddenly slammed with sub zero temps did them in. What a major disappointment to wait all winter for the June flush, only to get socked with major winter died back, spring drought and hoards of bugs. :(
Our grass will never come back after this summer! The sand has worked its way to the surface with nothing to hold the soil and we have more goldenrod in the yard than grass.
What a nasty weather pattern this year! We need rain! It rained on Holland today, but didn't even drip on us.
pj - we had a downpour here- got 1/2 in - not much, but I'll take it! The promised overnight rain never materialized. So much for the weather people being accurate! Sure is cool out this morning though! I need to get out weeding now that the humidity has moved east.
Yes it will be a nice relief if the weather stays in the 70's for the next few days .
But remeeeember ...this is what we have been waiting for all winter. ;o)
P.S.
If this summer drought trend keeps up like it has for the last few years I may have to rethink my flower beds.
The cottage style perennials need a lot more water.
I may have to switch and go with more drought resistant flowers and shrubs. I'm really sorry I got so many Hydrangeas now since most of them look wilted all the time.
Our electric bill was over $100. last month most likely from all the watering. That is way too high!
LOL....I was wishing mine would be only 100 - I bet between the pool running 24/7 and all the watering and fans we have going...ours will be well over 200. The price we're willing to pay for beauty...
Yes, yesterday was wonderful for gardening! I replanted all my hostas...been wondering why they weren't getting bigger. They were planted in very rich topsoil 10 years ago. Well, I got some new ones yday, and in the process of making a place in the bed for them I discovered pure sand. Ugh. I hate that about west Michigan! My good dirt always goes down (to China?) and the sand migrates to the surface.
So, we dug out the whole bed, down about 2 feet, laid down landscaping fabric and piled in good rich dirt, replanting all the hosta. Then I ran a drip hose in and around them. That was my gardening for the day.
Today I want to rip out what I can of the Blue Dayflower (Commelina communis). I think I'll burn it!
Another thing I hate - any plant in the spiderwort family.
What you don't like the spider worts? I really love them, how can you not with all of the pretty blue flowers in the morning. Mine have spread pretty much this year. Our grass is also crunching under our feet not soft at all. I'm concentrating on the flower in the yard to heck with the grass. But the cooler temps are very nice. Ronna
Well everybody likes (or dislikes) different things.
I always enjoy my Spiderwort and it hasn't spread at all.
Still drier than the dickens here.
Suppose to get some rain this week.
Looks a little bit like rain tonight.
Wish we would get one of those all day long soaks.
Weeds seem to be green and growing.
Whaz up with that anyway?!? :(
Tons of weeds this summer and I am way behind in weeding(:
Just broke down and stuck out the JB traps. I haven't used them for several years. The bait thingy was still in them. I took them outside and put them up and was covered with JB just trying to set the darn things up. Every year I say we've never had more JB, but this year it is true! They are swarming on everything.
Rain tonight? I'll believe it when I see it! 90's on sunday!!! If we do get the rain...just think of the mosquito hatch we'll have....
now i havent seen that many jbs around here at all wow i cant believe it sounds like you a being attacked or something. yuck!!!! sorry you are going thru all of that. sure hope they dont eat everthing in sight. do they attack all plants or just certain ones i havent seen any out in the garden here they mostly are on the cement. but i smoosh them when i see them. we are suppose to get some rain tonight. or early morning. cant wait. Everyone have a great 4th of july. Ronna this is the table i just painted it came out of the basement and i filled it up with flower pots and what not.
Here JB are mainly on our grapes, heliopsis, porcelin berry vine (covered with them), morning glories, bee balm, some on the DL's,and 4 oclocks. I spend hours putting them in soapy water...they are truly nasty around here.
fingers are crossed for RAIN!!
We have a lot of Jap Beetles too. They are migrating/spreading all over the US. They love/destroy my roses, Virginia Creeper and Hops vines. They arrive after the Rose Chafers (another scarab beetle) are done cycling. Unfortunately the Jap Beetles are here until Fall.
We had cloudy skies on and off today and a few sprinkles.
Hope we get more tonight.
No sprinkles here at all...blow some south of town please....I shut all the upstairs windows - hate getting up at night. - hoping for some serious rain tonight!
We had some rain, yeah!!!!!
we had 18 hundredths of an inch (so says the rain gauge) Enough to wet the top of the soil, but when you poke down it is still dry as dust. Guess I'll haul out the hoses....again.
We STILL desperately need the rain! 30 % cchance tomorrow. I'mwatering today again but I have a feeling our well may be in need of a rest. I'm worried about it. The pump is running almost all the time today with the sprinkler on. We only have a 20 foot deep well, because the water table is normally so high here. I'm really concerned.
I left the Spiderwort stuff and it's really lush and spreading. And yes it IS pretty. I just couldn't make myself destroy something healthy so near our dead lawn.
At least there are NO JB's here. My grapes and Bee Balm are perfect, not a nibble. No Oak woems either and we have them bad every year.
The roses are nearly gone though because my dear child let one of her pet rabbits escape last year and he's living high on my roses! LOL!
We just missed the rain again this afternoon. We seem to be in a little pocket and the rain always goes north and south of us. Sure hope we get some later.
We've had some rain but we need more.
Our lawn is tan with tall weeds poking up here and there.
I told my husband he needs to weed whack those ugly things.
Odd thing was a few days ago my hubby and I were up in Mackinaw City and it was raining cats and dogs on and off all day. When we returned home early evening that storm front was heading south just like us and it was raining so hard on and off all the way home but when we arrived in Cedar Springs... no kidding the storm suddenly dissipated and disappeared!! I was so angry! Grrrr!!!
I know the feeling its bad when you are jelouse of people who have the rain but you dont' want the floods eaither LOL
Gloria
Oh my doing the happy dance...Raining here...nice..wowo....hope it gets all over the state...so far...2--.10th..inch...keep on coming..
smiles..Diana...
We had a nice down pour here this morning.
I went to work so not sure how much we got but its still cloudy and looks like we could get more. YA - Hooo!
Yep...here too..got a 1/2 inch..so far..and yep it could go more..lol...for sure..Ya-Hoo......smiles..Diana.
Its raining here also hope it keeps up for hours all though the people down the street just and I mean just got a new cement driveway abought 10 minets ago I don't think thay are happy now but I am
Gloria
Got a l/4 inch here, and supposed to rain some more!!!
oh happy day its been raining for hours got to love it every thing looks fresh and new
Gloria
Oh, no, we keep missing the rain. On the 17th, it just spat here. But today ... yes, it really looks like it might rain. 80% chance according to the weather channel.
Lots of my daylily blooms were much smaller this year. But the seeds pods aren't doing too bad.
sharon
Sharon I noticed my daylilies were even suffering this year with fewer and smaller blossoms.
We have been lucky to get some rain. Almost every day now. Yesterday about 1/2" and last night even more. We needed it sooo bad. The woods were so dry I was afraid of wildfires and the animals....it is tough on them too.
We got a very good rain this afternoon. I don't know how much for it was very heavy for about 20 minutes.
hemlady, I looked at my rain gauge this morning, we got 1/2 inch. You might have gotten more since I saw lots of dark clouds to the north of us.
I'll take the 1/2 inch, but will have to get out there and water more to reach that 1 inch mark for the week.
cpartschick, Even down here near Detroit we hear of how dry the woods are. They talk about the danger of fires by lightening strike in the Nat. forests. I'm sure it's a bigger topic of conversation where you are at, but thought you would like to know they try to keep us informed here. I expect that is because it is vacation time and a lot of people go camping. Sure wish I was doing that right now. LOL
We have had lots of nice rain, so we are ok for a while. You are right about the campfires (fireworks too)
It is funny, because we live in a vacation spot, we have a little camp not far in the woods where we have our campfire and picnics. We had spent the better part of the weekend by the fire. Then we can walk to the house and sleep in comfort. LOL Cookouts are fun, and we did clean up some mess from the storms.