Ladybugs

This old house of ours has cracks and crevices that are sufficient entry points in the fall for ladybugs seeking places for their winter hibernation.  Most of them end up dead on the floor or a windowsill, and the ones that survive are endlessly entertaining for the cats.

Some actually successfully hibernate.  They emerge from their hiding places when warm weather arrives (like it did on Wednesday) and we find them trying to figure out a way to get outside, usually crawling on or around the windows. 

 

 

 

The other day, I went around the house with a jar and gathered up all the ladybugs I saw ... and I took them out to the greenhouse to help rid the roses of their spring crop of aphids.  As I was putting each ladybug into the jar, I was promising them that I was taking them to a place where their children would always have enough to eat.

 

 

 

 

When I got to the greenhouse and opened the jar, the ladybugs quickly crawled to the rim and set off to find suitable places to set up housekeeping.

 

 

 

Caught an action shot of a ladybug taking flight in this photo!

 

 

There are plenty of aphids on the roses in the greenhouse to go around.  It's not the ladybugs themselves that are going to do the bulk of the eating, though.  The adult ladybugs mate and lay their eggs in locations with an ample food supply, and it's the larvae who are voracious little aphid eating machines.  (See what the larvae look like in THIS post from last year.)

 

 

 

I've done my part.  It's all up to the ladybugs now.

 

 

Ladybugs in the Greenhouse

While I have been taking best advantage of our unseasonably warm March weather by working outside in the rose gardens for the past couple of weeks, the warm conditions allowed aphids to infest the new growth on the roses in a small section of the greenhouse.  (some of my large roses that I ordered from Eurodesert Roses last year)  The rest of the 300+ roses in the remainder of the greenhouse are fine.

Pests in an ideal environment like the greenhouse can get out of hand really quickly.  Fortunately, while I was distracted in the garden, ladybugs were on scene to help clear up the problem.  There have been ladybugs hybernating in the greenhouse all winter.  With the arrival of warm temperatures, the male and female ladybugs did their thing, and now the infested plants in the greenhouse are covered with larvae ... voracious little things that eat, and eat, and eat ... and they love aphids.

Though they look spiny and scary, these little orange and black alligator-looking bugs are DEFINITELY the good guys.  The rose shoot in the photo above was particularly full of aphids, and these two little larvae babies were busily eating their fill.  (all of the white things you see are aphids they've already eaten)

I have spent the past two days in the greenhouse ... potting up the few roses that will be available in the nursery in May, and tidying up my own roses that are wintering over in there.  It was hard to keep my concentration at times, because I was so fascinated by the ladybug circle of life that was happening in that one corner.

In addition to the hoardes of larvae, I also found two pupae ... each stuck to the middle of a leaf, just like I have read that they do.

I didn't find any eggs.  Truthfully, I didn't take the time to look all that closely.  I was trying valiantly to stay on task ... to tidy up as many of the potted roses as possible.

It's weird that there is hardly an aphid to be found on any of the other roses except these few.  I'm not complaining, because these larger roses are better able to handle any damage caused by such a concentration of nasty sucking insects. 

If the aphids are still a problem when I'm finished grooming the rest of the roses in the greenhouse, I will probably have to do something about them ... capturing the ladybug larvae, washing the plants with a hose, and returning the larvae to finish off the remaining aphids.  In the meantime, I'm putting my money on the ladybugs.

Sure Signs of Spring in the Greenhouse

As spring approaches, longer days mean more sunlight ... and more sunlight means that things in the greenhouse are happening fast. 

If this little plant of Mutabilis was outside, this tiny bud would make you think that it was early May instead of early March.  In the greenhouse, it's not at all unusual to see buds on the roses in March.  I want the roses to be producing new growth and healthy roots, not flowers, so I snapped off this bud right after I shot this photo.

Almost all of the roses are actively putting out healthy new growth.

Shiny new leaves on Alberic Barbier.

Thick, healthy, TINY leaves on Happenstance.

New growth, back lit by the sun, on "Sumerduck Cemetery", an unknown polyantha.

Willie Winkie, a miniature rose I'm growing for my garden from cuttings sent by a friend in California, is a bit chlorotic.  I'll have to check the pH in his pot.

I only have three flats of cuttings left on the propagation bench under the mist, hoping that they will still produce roots.

Healthy, new roots on White Pet.

The greenhouse is also a great environment for pests.  Look at the aphids I found yesterday afternoon!  They're practically shoulder to shoulder on this rose!!

and on this cutting of Ispahan! 

My last task yesterday afternoon was to give all of the roses a quick spray of insecticide. (I do NOT use insecticide in the garden, because there are plenty of predators outside that keep the pests under control. The greenhouse is a different story, however ... aphids like this will quickly weaken a tender cutting, and I must react with the judicious use of chemicals.)

The roses on the bench are looking a lot less like sticks these days.

Though last summer was a disastrous time for propagation, and most of these cuttings are much younger than I would like them to be, it looks as if they are responding well enough to be ready to go to their new homes starting next month. 

Morning Dew

School is out for the summer now, and mornings here are a little bit more relaxed.  Early this morning, while the Husband and the Grandson were still sleeping, I picked up my camera, slipped on my flip flops, and headed outside.

Madame Jules Bouche

Vintage Visalia

Everything in the garden was covered with a fine layer of dew, and the roses sparkled. 

Hadley

Dancing Doll

As I got to "Sawyer Plot Tea", I noticed that there are WAY more Japanese Beetles now than there were the other day.

"Sawyer Plot Tea" ... see the little guy hiding in the petals?

"Sawyer Plot Tea" again.  This is going to be a regular sight here for the next few weeks.  Yuck!

I won't think about Beetles right now ... I'll concentrate on all the loveliness in the garden instead.

Rose de Rescht

A leaf on Autumn Damask

Whenever I'm out in the Rose Field, there is always a Mockingbird keeping an eye on me.  This one was doing a really good Carolina Wren impression while I was taking his picture.

It wasn't only roses that caught my eye this morning.  The low angle of the rising sun creates wonderful light and shadow that highlights many things we don't normally notice.

Spider web on an old tree stump

Pretty weeds

Mushroom in the grass

Dew drops on blades of grass

It's no secret that early morning is probably my favorite time of day.  Walking in the garden, usually with coffee and camera in hand, is a wonderful way to spend quiet time reflecting ... and it's such a relaxing way to start the day.

********** Don't Forget to Enter This Month's Giveaway **********

One lucky Hartwood Roses reader will win "Portland from Glendora", the lovely rose shown above.  To enter, leave a comment on last week's Friday Flowers post HERE.  I will draw the winner at 11:00 on Thursday, June 24.  You can't win if you don't enter.

(written by Hartwood Roses.  Hartwood Roses blog.)

Going on a Beetle Hunt

Yesterday, Carolyn Parker of Rose Notes asked if I would please send her a photo of a Japanese Beetle.  She doesn't have them in California, and she needs a photo of one for a blog post she's working on.  Since I'm such a generous soul (grin), I was happy to oblige.

"Portland from Glendora"

I saw my first beetle this year on Friday, June 4, and I have only seen a few dozen since then.  There still relatively few in the garden today, almost two weeks later. 

Mlle. Augustine Guinnoisseau

Many of the ones I found were happily in the process of making more beetles for next year.

Pink Gruss an Aachen

Chief Seattle

Others were still single, probably biding their time till a suitable mate could be found.

Shot Silk

They tried, but they couldn't hide from me.

Madame Abel Chatenay

Compassion

The name of the rose in the photo above is quite ironic, considering I had no compassion for any of the beetles I saw.  There is great satisfaction to be had from the 'crunch' of squishing these nasty critters. 

Tomorrow should be a good day to teach the Grandson my favorite garden game of skill ... using a chopstick to knock beetles into a jar of soapy water.  You can bet that his proud grandmother will be right there with her camera to document the whole thing. 

(written by Hartwood Roses.  Hartwood Roses blog.)