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The Budding Begins

I wrote about the Japanse Beetles a few times over the past year or two. One of the posts talks about The Dreaded Japanese Beetle and offers many ways to protect your plants from these pests. Another post here talking about these pests.. Rose of Sharon and one more First Blooms

Each year they return. And the process starts all over again. They seem to really like my Rose of Sharon blooms. I have three bushes in the front. I have to start treating as soon as I see the buds appear. That is starting to happen now. All of the green leaves have appeared. Wish me luck.

The butterflies, hummingbirds and bees flock to these bushes. I try each year to save as many blooms as possible. The pollen covered bees will be here soon. They will look white with pollen after visiting these blooms in a few weeks. I try to do my part, so they can all enjoy the blooms and hopefully continue to return each year.

Photos ©CarolDM

  • Question of

    Do you have pests every year in your garden?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Are you successful in treating these pests, if you have them?

    • Yes
    • No

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What do you think?

18 Points

Written by Carol DM

28 Comments

  1. I suspect they would argue we are pests. We build all around the places they live (bugs) and then kill them with sprays.

    My dad used to plant various flowers around the edges of his garden as the flowers would drive away from various pests naturally.

    1
    • Yes you are probably correct. I have a bag I put out in front of the bushes and they fly into the bag as they are drawn to the smell. It is either that or have no flowers. I plant marigolds and they help smaller flowers by chasing away predators with their smell, but these large bushes need a little more help.

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  2. The pictures are wonderful … I have the pests as much as you want in the garden … I struggle all the way with them … I’ll see how successful I am?
     

    1
    • I also have had these mealy bugs in my garden. These tips have helped some in the past.

      Prune out light infestations or dab insects with a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. Do not over water or overfertilize, mealybugs are attracted to plants with high nitrogen levels and soft growth.

  3. I hope to see more blooms in your garden. I don’t have a garden as of yet but I am planning to have one int he future. Do you need to wait for the budding to begin before treatment? How about placing a net around the garden area to prevent these bugs from coming in?

    1
    • You will see many more Sharon. And thank you! They are just starting to bloom. No, the treatment should begin before the treatment. The first link I provided above gave more detail. But I now have the bags out to capture as many bugs as possible. The problem with the net is the bees and butterflies cannot get to the blooms if it is covered. But thanks for the idea.