Brockville Horticultural Society

Summer 2011 Newsletter

Gardeners Least Wanted
Controlling Earwigs without Chemicals
Earwigs live for only one year and may die during the winter months. In early spring, any surviving females lay their eggs in tiny nests in the top 5 cm of the soil. It is a good time to dig around all plants to disrupt the larvae and expose them to air which kills them. Also, cultivating the soil during the summer will prevent larvae from thriving. In the fall, remove all debris that could provide overwintering sites. Favourite hiding places for earwigs include cracks, curled leaves and crotches on trees and shrubs. They also like to hide in the blossoms of flowers with many petals or have deep throats. One can create instant traps with anything that will provide shelter. Newspapers folded or rolled can be placed near damaged plants and the earwigs will take cover in the folds in early morning. In mid-morning, you can shake the newspaper out into a pail of soapy water which will kill them. Hollow bamboo canes or pieces of old garden hose can be placed along house foundations or wherever earwigs are found and shaken into soapy water in the morning. You can also use a spray of 20-25 mls of liquid soap to 4.5 litres of water and spray on the plants at dusk. The reduction of a seasons population will also reduce the population of subsequent years as earwigs only breed once a year. (Margaret Inwood Lanark County Master Gardeners)

Brockville Horticultural Society Executive President: David Morgan Secretary: Yvonne Morgan Treasurer: Tina Van Bolhuis

Directors: One Year: Pat Galna Margitta Morton Donelda Shackles Susan Tooker Johanna Flikweert Two Year: Lee Fort Lucie Rondeau Kathleen Lang Were on the Web! See us at: www.gardenontario.org/site.php/ brockville

Master Gardeners
Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc. is a volunteer, non-profit organization comprised of individuals who are certified horticultural experts providing gardening information to those who inquire. The United Counties group is presently inactive. The Lanark group is the nearest next group, and you can call anytime for information or help.
Ankaret Dean 613-278-1203 Gerda Franssen 613-257-7155 Helen Halpenny 613-256-3219 Margaret Inwood 613-259-3141 Carol Kenward 613-256-5594 Bev King 613-259-9931 Kathleen Lang 613-283-5982 Kevin Long 613-279-2098 Dale Odorizzi 613-264-8135 Paul Pietsch 613-267-8067 Paul Pospisil 613-273-5683 Renai Rennick 613-267-7272 Judy Wall 613-267-6684 Victor Wark 613-259-2775

Guerrilla Weeding
It has happened to all of usmaybe we have been away on vacation or working too hard or the weather has been too hot or we have forgotten about a distant garden but all of a sudden, we cannot see our beautiful flowers for the weeds. When that happens, we feel like taking out the weed wacked and cutting everything down or simply ignore the garden for the rest of the summer. Instead of doing that, consider spending some time guerrilla weeding. The first step in this process is to weed thoroughly for the area 1-2 feet from the edge of the garden. This is the area that people can see when they come to visit your garden. When that is done, pull out or cut off any weeds that stand higher than the good flowers that you wish to show case. Stand back and see what weeds you can notice and cut them off. The important thing is to try to keep the weeds from going to seed. One weed can generate thousands of seeds and most importantly, we want to keep the weeds from growing next year. If you still have time and energy after this weeding, dead head (cut off flowers that are past their prime) your plants to keep them looking good. Some perennials do not look good after they bloom so cut them back and let their new leaves grow. Finally, again if you have time, edge around the garden. To do this, get a sharp shovel or half-moon edger and cut a nice crisp edge around your newly weeded bed. A crisp edge around your garden, sets it off from the lawn, much like a picture frame sets a painting off from your wall. Now that you have completed your Guerrilla weeding, sit back and admire your work. If even this amount of work is too much, remember that many weeds are very attractive to the bees and butterflies and you are doing your best to provide a habitat for pollinators! (Dale Odorizzi Lanark County Master Gardeners)

Also, if you are an experienced gardener and enjoy helping others, you may want to join the Master Gardeners. Additional information and helpful tools can be found on the new homepage www.mgoi.ca

LILY LEAF BEATLE or BEETLE

The Beatles sing. Lily leaf beetles just make noise by rubbing two body parts together when they are threatened. Just like their name suggests their foods are lilies and fritillarias. Even their scientific name, Lilioceris lilii tells us the plants they feed on. They do not feed on daylilies or other plants with lily like names. They have four stages to their life cycle egg, larvae, pupa and adult. These insects over winter in the adult stage as a beetle. They are bright red on top less than half an inch long ( 6-9 mm. ) and an eighth of an inch ( 3mm. ) wide. Their head, antennae and underside are pitch black. One of their defense mechanisms ( thanatosis ) is to fold up its appendages and fall to the ground with its black underside facing up. Expecting to see a bright red beetle on the ground they become very difficult to find. These beetles emerge in the spring from the soil or plant debris just in time to begin feeding on the leaves of lilies. Pick the adults and crush them before they have a chance to lay their eggs. Irregular bands of small orangey eggs are laid on the underside of leaves. Squish them by rubbing your finger over them making sure to get every last one. The eggs hatch in six days and the larvae start to feed for twenty-four days on the underside of the leaf sometimes defoliating the entire plant. This is the most destructive stage. While they eat and grow the larvae cover themselves in their own frass. Again pick off the larvae and when you have several in the palm of your hand squeeze them until they are oozing from between your fingers. They are orange with the black frass covering. The larvae fall to the ground when mature where they pupate and emerge as the red beetle in about twenty days. There could be more than one life cycle in a growing season. They feed on the underside of the leaves so chemical control is difficult as most gardeners cannot be bothered to spray under the leaves. Nowadays there are practically no chemicals available except neem oil. Apply it every five to seven days. Hand picking the adults and squishing the eggs and larvae as you see them is by far the most effective. There are no natural predators. Enjoy your lilies. (Paul Pietsch Lanark County Master Gardeners)

Upcoming Events
Monday, May 16, 2011 Guest Speaker - Suzanne Patry / Bruce Trites Topic - White House Perennials - New and underused perennials Monday, June 20, 2011 Guest Speaker - Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority Topic - Overview of the conservation lands and the programs Saturday, August 13, 2011 Brockville Horticultural Society Summer Flower and Vegetable Show Thousand Islands Mall, Brockville, Ontario Monday, September 19, 2011 Guest Speaker - Mike Laking Topic Photography
Meetings are held in the lower hall at Brockville Wesleyan Church 33 Central Avenue West, Brockville, ON. (On the corner of Central Ave. and Ferguson Dr). When: The 3rd Monday of each month (Excluding July, August and December) Time: 7 to 8:30 PM

Congratulations to Kathleen Lang on attaining her horticultural judging credentials from the Garden Clubs of Ontario. Kathleen is also a certified judge with the Ontario Horticultural Association.