So what are you growing new in 2008?

They decimate your lilies....leaves, buds, flowers all have holes or look like lace when they are done. The first year I had just the stems left over when they were through!!

ngam, thats why I ended up using a chemical....didn't want to but really had no choice. It was Bayer or stop growing lilies... Not Happening!!

Anyone try neem for them??

Neem Oil will kill any beetle here. Never had problems of any kind with my lillies. Nice thing is Neem Oil does not build a super beetle. It smothers them.

Thanks doc. When / how often is it applied?

I do not know the life cycle of your beetle. However most beetle if not all are emerging from the ground over several weeks. I would say as soon as you see them on a seven day respray schedule....unless you get hard rain. In that event follow the rain and then seven days later. My guess is that you will pretty well have them on the run in three weeks. If not seven days later do it again.

The adults go for the flowers and within about two weeks return to the soil and place the eggs that lead to next years crop. The more you get on top the better off next year will be. They actually do more plant damage underground in the larva stage. In the case of lillies that would be the tender new roots damaged that are needed to gather the food to support the leaves that make next year's bulb. My guess is that they are in the ground just a chewing away about two weeks after the leaves emerge and continue growing the plant. This would pretty well follow your development of tender new roots.

Only rule with any oil based application is not to spray in the hot of the day. Early AM or late evening is best. Just be sure drying time is figured in so they do not stay wet for lack of drying time by nightfall. Every label on Neem that I have seen gives this advice.

This message was edited Mar 21, 2008 3:16 PM

Pixie and docpipe - thanks. Maybe next year I'll give them a go again. I was nuking them like Pixie and gave up because I had to many projects going on and would forget until I saw the damage. Red devils is a good name for them!

Here is a link about the natural defenses that have been released to help take them out. Also has a lovely pic of one of the little monsters. Scroll down a little for article. http://my.gardenguides.com/forums/topic/14499

I'm not to far from Hudson, NH so maybe the wasps will come here.

Luckily, I've never seen the beetle here.

Here is a fact sheet on the nasty red beetles. http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/defoliators/lily_leaf_beetle.pdf I added a bug fact sheet to the sticky thread , it lists fact sheets on local bugs that we hate.

Great links Ngam, it's good to know they are working on a natural predator for the little buggers.

Victor - I saw beatles in your neck o' the woods - I think it was at Shea Stadium - my uncle (NYC detective) took me with his daughters - I may have been the only girl there that was not screaming - I mean, how are you supposed to hear them sing when you're screaming your brains out?

Wow - you were really there?! Cool. Actually, if you see the film of it, they sounded amazingly good considering they could not hear themselves at all!

It was the summer before 7th grade - I think the concert was 8/15, my birthday 8/21 - it was birthday present from my parents and aunt & uncle.....

We got to move around a bit because of my uncle, I remember a couple of great spots inside the field and about 30-40 feet from stage!!!

4 YEARS LATER...

Woodstock!!! I was there for 2 1/2 days!!!

What a difference a few years made!!!!

why mrsj, you did get around as young person, didn't you?? what memories!! and there I was plodding along, doing my homework, going to the occasional movie and hoping my friends wouldn't find out I was a straight A student LOL. Somehow the 60's were going on around me but only touched me on the surface.

Well...another possible travesty is awaiting me. Have any of you had any problems with any of the auctioneers at the lilyauction? I just received an email from the person who runs the auction, supposedly one of the people I purchased/won a DL from ('Circle Upon Circle') is not responding to any phone calls, emails, or other contacts from peeps from the lilyauction. If I don't get the DL in April, that means I'll be out almost $52; I paid with a money order from the post office. I'm going to read through what the lilyauction does agains fraud...I have no idea, if I don't get the DL, what I can do to get my money back!

I just found this thread. Wha....you can keep that snake!!! eeeek. I'd have a heart attack if I went out and saw that!!!!!

My new plant is a Glory Bush. I snatched some seed last fall from Old Westbury Gardens...

Thom, I went to the LA to see who the seller was of that DL. I am just guessing here...but the seller lives in Texas and they have had some major storms go through there in the last few weeks. They have alot of damage and flooding going on so that may be the problem. Mike Longo is the owner of LA and he lives in Hawaii, he may not realize what is happening down in Texas. The seller has no bad feedback at all, so I wouldn't worry that you been riped off, I'd worry more that no damage came to the sellers flower beds!!
Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Ok, and thanks for the tip. I hope (this is me being very selfish) the beds/crops aren't ruined. In any case, if they are, I'm gonna be out $52. I had something like this happen with eBay, it's a huge reason I refuse to use PayPal. Essentially, PayPal sent me an email...all PayPal colors, notes, etc...asking for my CC verification number...I gave it...didn't realize that it was a "fishing scam." I didn't have much in the way of cash in this particular account, but it got wiped. I was able to recoup the money...I just won't ever use the service again.
Mike Longo was the one who sent the email to me, and I guess everyone else who has bought/won DL's from this particular person. In the email, he stated that he would be calling the police in the city this seller is from to make sure that everything is ok. So, I hope I will hear something back shortly.

And, on a lighter note, I planted my Datura seeds last night in the the APS system. I hope to see something soon!

I never respond to email links from anywhere! If they say you need to verifiy your CC # ect.. then go to the web page it's self and never use the links they provided....it's almost always a scam! Once you go to the website it will tell you if they need any info, if not then you know for sure it was a scam. Anytime you get one and you think it's a scam...forward it to spoof@paypal.com or spoof@ebay.com depending on which one it came from. They will email you back and tell you if it was a phisihing scam or not. They will also investigate if it is one.

I've been looking through the Proven Winners Plant site to see what is good! LOL
http://provenwinners.com/plants/default.cfm?doSearch=1&searchDuration=Perennial&page=2

Nice site to check out what will probably be in the nurseries. I like the Belarina primulas. I will be looking for them if I can get out early to the nursery.

funny Pixie.... the only problem is I can never find what I like at the local places

What type of plants are you looking at? Garden Crossings has their ColorChoice shrubs and many annuals.

Good news about the DL/grower. He was away, family emergency. So, all is well.
I actually did do that, in regard to the paypal thing. Took me to a site that looked like paypals. Everything was a scam. They even had encryption stuff on this site. I know that it has/was since been taken care of.

I'm gonna have to go look at the proven winners stuff too! I know what everyone is saying, most of the nurseries in the area will carry a few of this, and not all of those. Same thing with Monrovia.

Hi, everyone. I have about 50 packs of seeds...mostly veggies...want to really supply the lion's share of our veggies for the summer (but I'll leave the corn to the local farmers). I am also putting in a tree peony garden on a gentle slope that goes to the pond. I've put in a big order at Cricket Hill Tree Peony Garden, and their dormant shipping means they should get here in a week or so.

My new one (so far), is a Scotch Broom. Picked up a 3 gal potted one today about 24"h, along with a Korean forsythia and a couple of hyacinths. Along with the 5 rose bushes and 7 Clematis my YTD is about $100, about 1/5 - 1/6 of what I expect to spend this year, (and that's not counting the water)... ☺

This message was edited Mar 22, 2008 6:46 PM

that's good WC - I've exceeded that already with mulch and compost :( I'm still debating about which is easier on my back...bags of mulch, or delivery by the nursery and shoveling/wheel barrowing it... I know the nursery delivery is by far less expensive, but I'm not so sure I'd be able to cart it around. Plants should start arriving next month.

I'd choose bags of mulch, if you get hurt wheelbarrowing/ shoveling it your season will end before it starts! (plus back pain is horrible - not even lying down and resting relives the pain). ☺

I have to agree w/Water on that, back pain can also be a long time in healing.
I had the Scotch Broom for about 2 years and then last year nothing. I didn't pull it, just gave it some good fert. and a haircut and pray it comes back this year. I really like the blooms on it and it's such a unique plant that I just thought i'd give it another year.

that's what I thought.
I miss my scotch broom. It was fantastic for several years and then just bit the big one on me.

Really depends on how much you will need. There comes a point where buying by the bag is just way too expensive. I had over 20 yds dropped a few years back and it only did about half of what i really could have used. That would have been astronomical by the bag. But I was in pain for days!! I used a large garden cart I made. Also, I was stupid and did it four days straight. But it was already mid-June and did not want to stretch it out.

too bad I don't live closer to you guys.... my pickup is great for mulch ... I usually pick up 3 - 4 yards at a time... no delivery charge then

this photo looks like my truck but mine is sliver
http://www.auctionadmin.com/ImgViewer.aspx?iID=469687&pic=04

Cool! You're lucky to have that, Allison.

Boy are we lucky or what..............Our township single grinds wood, tree tops and garden waste by the mega tons. It gets piled deep and in quarter mile rows. It usually does not get turned but it heats up pretty good and turns dark brown.

So far our charge per truck (any truck or trailer load) is five bucks to have it loaded with a front end loader. At the middle of the next season they actually give it to the nursery within our township. After it is moved, ground a second time, and repiled it becomes $22.00 a cupic yard. The same numbers (aproximately) apply to mushroom compost. One must of course go to the mushroom houses to get the lesser numbers. That involves quite a few miles and added expense.

Last year with help we put down a minimum of forty cupic yards of once ground waste wood mulch. We will need half that much again this year to finish and top off last years work. I'm getting a bit frail to be tossing much of this about the property. Sometimes we can get help. Nobody wants extra work anymore even at ten bucks under the table. Our area average unskilled wage is a good bit under that. Worse even to find someone that knows anything about gardening in general.

We used to pay a penny a pound for the town mulch but it was a lot of time and work without having Allison and her great truck to help us. We also had a landscaper deliver a huge truck load of it but that was more difficult just because of the volume and all our own labor, like Victor. We put in 30 tons, total, from the landfill and since '93 have used only our own compost.

Victor it has come in handy so many times... I know it's a pain if i have to take it food shopping or whatever... but it's worth it's weight in gold... good thing I loved horses before I was a home owner... but between top soil, mulch and home depot trips it has saved us a bunch of money in deliveries ... last year I found a place that is called the mulch depot... it's fantastic... they stock single, double and triple ground mulch... great stuff

Thanks, Doc, for the orchid advice--I may order another catt from Carter & Holmes. Daisy, Cricket Hill is in my town, & they have been very generous to our beautification committee--I'm glad you tried them--I'd love to paint a Chinese peony, but they don't last very long--I can't seem to paint from a photo--have to have the plant in front of me!

ROBINDOG........... you are right the Chinese peony do not last very long. Years ago when Wayside Gardens really was one of the best mail order firms I bought the first collection of three or four they offered. I marvel at their beauty each year when they appear. My bed is about up to another division and extended plantings of those peony plantings. I have not noticed to many specific plants that are that much different from the original Chinese peony Wayside offered.

I never liked to paint from a photo either although with todays cameras one can shoot and shoot for the best light and degree of sharpness. My oils have been put away for health reasons. Never developed any degree of higher skill with water or acrylics. Our town is full of art outlets. I now enjoy the work of others.....some of which I trained with and or grew up with. We always enjoyed the flora and fauna field trips.