How the month has slipped by so quickly I can't explain. Wistfully hoping for a good soaking for depite a sharp shower in which I got drenched when I was but a mile from home, here, the garden recovered from its hour of mizzle to end up within a couple of hours as dry as ever. I know it will have rained in other parts, and I look forward to reading Jon's post and those of other gardeners later today and during the week.
Here are my Six on Saturday.
1. How long before it is time to bring the succulents indoors? Some are now on the shelf with some just on the gravel.
2. Acer Corner and its bed are looking weather worn, with many perennials and the annuals cut back to ground level having withered in the searing heat and drought.
Acer itself has done surprisingly well considering it has not been watered, but maybe the oak on the other side of the wall has given it some shade and who knows what the underground microfungi are doing?
Right towards the front the Heritage Chrysanthemums Picasso which I am 'holding and expanding' for the HPS too are in full sight now all the cosmos have succumbed. I managed to hand back three good plants early this year, from my original the previous year.
3. We weresitting at the round table in the garden yesterday afternoon, having a cup of tea my dearly beloved and I spied. Suddenly I saw an unusual small half slug half caterpillar type creature. One of my pear trees has Pear Slug Sawfly and then I found a lone one on the other tree.
Using the search term half slug half caterpillar, I was able to identify the culprit/
The larvae are important pests that eat the leaves of commercial crops such as cherry, pear, and plum trees, leaving behind a skeleton of veins. The larvae cover themselves in green slime, making themselves unpalatable to predators. When the larvae are fully grown, they drop off the tree on the ground and pupate underground. The adult sawfly emerges from the pupal case and climbs from the soil to mate and lays eggs on the leaves of the host plant, completing the lifecycle.
When I investigated the other pear tree I found another problem! Could be Fire Blight?
4. I felt it was time to repot the Trapaeolum tricolor, and when upended the pot there were these three large tubours. They are in a new pot now, and will be destined for the conservatory when bloom start to appear.
6. Before the first cucumber plant had tired itself out, or at least looked as if it would stop fruiting, I bought a small plant for £1.50 from the market stall, and by having these plants in succession, I shall be picking cucumbers from late May going into September. It is growing outdoors up a string anchored to the outside edge of the conservatory.
Fabulous cucumbers! And well done for being a plant guardian. The half slug/half caterpillar is a new one to me too, very interesting in a yukky kinda way.
ReplyDeleteI hope your pear trees survive. The succulents look lovely.
ReplyDeleteYuck to the half slug/half caterpillar (although I never cease to be impressed how internet search engines find stuff). My mother-in-law had reported there'd been rain at home while we were on holiday (we certainly had some in Cornwall). Having just checked the water butts attached to the two sheds I was disappointed to find they're still not full (although the two attached to the house are which is something).
ReplyDeleteYou are fortunate to have a selection of tubs, here the footprint of the house within the garden doesn't allow for any, which is a shame.
DeleteAwesome cucumbers! Mine are not over yet and I hope to have a little more in September. I knew the name sawfly but I had never seen one. Thanks for sharing - looks slimy!
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a few different sawflies Fred. I once wrote about the Rose Sawfly which we also get her.
DeleteYour collection of succulents is most attractive Noelle. Obviously the weather this summer has been to their liking. I've never heard of the pear slug sawfly before and will be keeping my fingers tightly crossed that they don't visit my tree which already suffers from pear rust. Can they reduce crops?
ReplyDeleteI had pear rust in the Midlands, and removed the leaves as soon as I saw the pustules. The sawfly eats patches in the leaves, so the tree because weaver, but I am keeping my trees compact, and I am just swishing all the sawfly larvae I see.
DeleteGreat photos lovely cucumbers. 🌼💞 You can wash the pear and cherry slug (as we call them here) off with soapy water or a brisk hose.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that tip, as we ought not be using any brisk hose at the moment, I am content with squashing them with fingers. I was also concerned that if they fall all they would pupate and emerge next year.
DeleteGreat to see the cucumbers!
ReplyDeleteYou've a lovely looking collection of succulents. Hopefully they will get a few more weeks outside, but the nights are drawing in fast here.
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