asian lady beetles

Harmonia axyridis

Multicolored Asian lady beetles, or ladybugs, are beneficial, but you might not think so when they swarm your back porch or come indoors for a visit. Like the many other species of lady beetles, they feed on aphids and soft-bodied insect pests that attack flowers and vegetables. The best way to identify a multicolored Asian lady beetle from other species is by the distinctive “M” marking on the back just above the colorful wings. These lady beetles vary in color, from green to orange. And the number of spots on their backs varies.

Asian lady beetles don’t feed on wood, fabrics or human food. Nor do they sting, carry diseases or bite, although you may get a startling pinch from one. This pinch does not break the skin and is usually only a problem when your skin is moist on warm days. When you handle Asian lady beetles or step on them, they release a yellowish fluid that’s harmless but smells awful. And it can leave a stain. Always sweep up and dispose of dead beetles. Particles from the dried and crushed bodies can affect people with respiratory problems.

Perennial Companions

Find plants that look good and grow well together.

PHOTO: © Mary Jane Hayes

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Eastern tent caterpillar

IDENTIFICATION — There are several kinds of caterpillars that spin webs in trees, but you’ll see Eastern tent caterpillars and their webs in late spring or early summer. They’re black, with irregular blue and white markings and a solid white stripe down the back. Adult moths are about 1 in. long and red-brown with two white stripes on the front wings.

DAMAGE — Usually, the worst thing about these caterpillars is that their webs look messy, but the pests can defoliate and stress small trees. You’ll see webs in the forks of twigs or branches of trees east of the Rocky Mountains. Webs usually don’t enclose leaves, as the caterpillars leave the webs to feed. They generally feed in the morning or evening, when it’s cool, but may also feed during the day. If it’s raining or hot, they often retreat to the web.

CONTROL — You can pull down the webs, pests and all, and destroy them. Check the web first to be sure the caterpillars are “at home.” Wear gloves, because the hairs on the caterpillars can irritate some people’s skin. A strong jet of water can help knock down webs that are too high to reach.

Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a common control, but it has to penetrate the webs to be effective. And you may need a professional to spray a large tree.

Most plants have trouble growing in clay soil. But adding enough organic matter to improve the situation can be back-breaking work. Don’t worry, here are plants that tolerate and even thrive in the stuff!

For even more great plants for your garden, check out Ultimate Flowers for Sun and Shade at right!

Ultimate Flowers for Sun and Shade

Whether you have sun or shade, you’ll love this new softcover book with more than 150 flowering favorites!

Click on the photo for a larger image

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Columbine sawfly
Pristophora aquiligae

IDENTIFICATION — These larvae of a non-stinging wasp have green heads and bodies without stripes or spots. You’ll often see them on the tops or undersides of columbine leaves in late spring.

DAMAGE — Larvae strip leaves by chewing along the edges toward the inner leaf, eating all but the midveins. Their green color blends in well with the leaves, so you may not notice them until they’ve done a lot of damage.

CONTROL — Many birds eat sawflies, so grow bird-attractors like berry and seedhead plants in your garden. Handpick, or spray insecticidal soap on the tops and bottoms of leaves every few days while you see the caterpillars. If most of the leaves are gone, cut the plant down to the ground and it’ll produce fresh foliage in a few weeks or come back the next year ready to bloom.

If you want, spray spinosad, an insecticide made from bacteria, on the leaves before or after you see the larvae (it works both when the caterpillars eat it or come in contact with it).

creative staking

Sooner or later, you’re going to have a floppy plant that needs some help standing tall. Of course, there are all kinds of plant supports available, from inexpensive bamboo stakes to the more high-end vinyl-coated Y-stakes and plant supports. But sometimes it’s fun to use something that’s a little unusual to keep your plants on the up-and-up. Here are a couple of ideas that work well and are simple to do.

LEAN ON ME — How can you throw away a trusty old rake, even if it’s losing its teeth like the one at right? Cut the handle off at an angle so it will poke into the soil easily. If your New England aster starts to lean, the rake provides a simple prop.

CLIMBER CLIPS — Small spring-hinged hair clips hold plants to bamboo stakes. Make sure the “fingers” of the clip can go around the stake, as they do in the bottom photo, without pinching the stem. The clips come in lots of colors, so choose bright ones for tiny accents, or clear or dark ones for more subtle support.

Check out lots of other creative gardening ideas in Easy Weekend Gardening, Vol. 3 at right.

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Japanese knotweed
Polygonum cuspidatum

IDENTIFICATION — This extremely invasive weed has simple medium-green leaves and spike-shaped pale-green to white flowers in summer. By the end of summer the plant can reach to 8 ft. tall.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Japanese knotweed spreads by rhizomes in full sun and dry soil. Cultivated areas, such as garden beds, and waste areas are where you’ll find this pest.

CONTROL — Use a nonselective herbicide like Roundup^® as the plant is starting to go dormant in early fall.

Easy Weekend Gardening, Vol. 3

Learn quick and simple ideas and plans you can use this weekend from the editors of Garden Gate magazine…

Click on the photo for a larger image

small space…big splash

You don’t necessarily need a big space to make a big impact. But you can make your garden look larger without buying more land or moving to a larger property. Try these tips:

At first glance, the clematis-draped window in the photo appears to open into another room of the garden. But click on the photo and take a closer look — it’s a mirror! A well-placed (and clean) mirror is one way to create the illusion of space. (Birds are a lot less likely to fly into a small mirror or one that’s divided and not just one large expanse of glass.)

You can also try building a path that narrows as it moves away from your house. Or use progressively smaller plants toward the far edges of your garden. And in a narrow bed, plant fine-textured plants in front of those with coarser plants, making the bed seem deeper than it actually is. By forcing the perspective like this, you can “grow” your garden and create the illusion that it extends beyond its physical boundaries.

Soji Modern solar lantern

Don’t worry about cords or wiring — just hang them up and glow!

PHOTO: © Rick Wetherbee

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Slugs

IDENTIFICATION — These creatures can be ¼ to 7 in. long, and may be gray, orange, yellow, brown or black, with stripes or other markings. (The one in the photo at left is a banana slug.) Slugs are found almost everywhere, but prefer cool, moist areas like shade gardens or greenhouses.

DAMAGE — Slugs’ rasping mouthparts chew long, ragged holes in leaves. They can also damage or kill small seedlings and leave holes in fruits and vegetables.

CONTROL — Rake debris from beds in spring to remove slug eggs. Diatomaceous earth sprinkled on soil repels slugs because the sharp edges poke their soft bodies. Copper strips around plants repel them, too, as the strips generate tiny electrical charges that slugs don’t like. (You can buy both products at garden centers.)

For a bad infestation, you may need to use slug bait. Be careful to keep them away from children and pets.

plant pick

Iris
Iris hybrids

Just about everyone has grown iris at some time. But if you’ve noticed yours aren’t blooming like they used to, it may be time to divide — every three to five years is a good rule of thumb. You can move your iris any time if necessary, but dividing them in mid- to late summer is best. It gives the rhizomes enough time to establish a good root system before winter.

Start by trimming the foliage back to 10 to 12 in. to make plants easier to handle. Use a garden fork to lift the clump out of the ground. Then break or cut off the new growth, which is usually along the outside, from the center of the clump, and discard the old rhizomes. Replant the divisions right at the soil’s surface so they don’t rot.

TYPE Perennial SIZE 8 to 49 in. tall and 18 in. wide BLOOM Almost every color in spring LIGHT Full sun SOIL Well-drained PESTS Occasional iris borer HARDINESS Cold: USDA zones 4 to 9; Heat: AHS zones 9 to 1

Make lining a wire basket faster and easier by using compressed moss liners instead of loose sphagnum moss.

New Zealand Sphagnum Moss Liner

Add water and these liners quickly mold to the shape of your basket…

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Blackspot on roses

IDENTIFICATION — In spring small black spots appear on the leaves, and occasionally the stems, of roses. The spots look like soot, but can’t be rubbed off.

DAMAGE — By summer the spots grow larger, the leaves turn yellow, fall off and are replaced by new leaves. Repeating this process weakens the plant, making it more susceptible to other diseases, insects and winter injury. Plus, it’s just plain unsightly.

Fungus spores overwinter on infected leaves and stems left lying on the ground. Splashing water transfers the fungus to young leaves from spring through fall.

CONTROL — Search out resistant cultivars and grow roses where air is not blocked by surrounding plants. Avoid wetting the leaves, especially late in the day, and remove infected leaves as you spot them. Fungicides from the garden center will help, but spray before you see symptoms.

Click on illustration for plant list.

coral bells = good companions

Coral bells are versatile plants: They thrive in shade gardens and sunny spots alike. Although they’re not usually large plants, their color and texture give them real presence. With good-looking foliage that doesn’t go down with the flowers, coral bells just may be perfect companion plants. Here are a couple of ways to use these great perennials in your garden:

FLOWER POWER — Featuring two long bloomers: Coral bells and spiderwort, this planting takes part sun. The ground cover veronica blooms in spring before the other two get going but has nice-looking foliage all summer.

Click on illustration for plant list.

FUN WITH FOLIAGE — This coral bells combination features plants that will even take full shade. You may not get many blooms from your coral bells there, but its burgundy foliage echoes the burgundy veining in the Japanese painted fern. And the texture contrasts make for a beautiful partnership.

Backyard Retreat

Discover ideas to create your own relaxing backyard escape from the editors of Garden Gate magazine…

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Buffalo bur
Solanum rostratum

IDENTIFICATION — Buffalo bur grows up to 2 ft. tall and is armed with long yellow spines on its deeply lobed light green leaves and along sturdy stems. In summer, small clusters of bright-yellow flowers form, followed by spiny seed pods.

FAVORITE CONDITIONS — Any dry, exposed soil in full sun is ideal for buffalo bur. Unfortunately, the weed is even drought-tolerant.

CONTROL — The simplest control for buffalo bur is to hoe out the young seedlings. Because of the sharp spines on the flowers, stems and seed pods, wear gloves to pull older plants.

PHOTO: © Neil Soderstrom

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Japanese beetle

IDENTIFICATION — If these pests weren’t so destructive, they’d be pretty. Shiny bronze-green adults are about 3/8 in. long. Larvae are 1-1/4-in.-long, C-shaped white grubs. These beetles are found in the eastern third of the United States and parts of Ontario and Quebec. They sometimes show up on nursery plants in the West, but they aren’t a common pest there yet.

DAMAGE — Adults feed on most plants, boring into flowers or fruit and skeletonizing leaves. Grubs eat grass roots, causing spongy, off-color patches in lawns.

CONTROL — If you see just a few, pick them from plants in early morning or late evening when they’re less active. A big infestation may need a general-purpose pesticide, but be sure it’s safe for the plant. Don’t use traps — they just attract more beetles. To control the grubs, try bacterial milky spore disease or parasitic nematodes (Heterorhabditis), which you can find at Gardens Alive! Both are watered into the lawn.

TrenchFoot

This no-slip footpad is easy to install and makes working with a spade or shovel almost a pleasure.