Mr. Vine Eye, these are really good photos and it looks like your aphid problem is solved. I don't have many small birds here and I've never seen them on roses.
Marlorena, I like this one a lot. I am expecting my group 2s to open soon, montanas are flowering now.
Regarding roses, I am waiting for Souvenir de St. Annes... almost open, the top one or two petals are unfurling... but it takes ages! Already nicely fragrant though.
I'm experimenting this summer with rose companions to see what best keeps away pests and fungal disease. I've got a mixture of Hardy geraniums, nepeta, chives, aliums and agastche. I'd be interested to know what has worked well for you? As I've promised myself not to spray my roses this year
I've grown all those Jason and I can't say they reduce aphids at all... not that I've noticed... so I would just grow them for ornamental value without expecting anything else really.. In 2006, Italian researchers published a paper about the effects of Tannin on plants... it was discovered that Tannin [found in Black Tea] acted as an anti-Fungal and also as a deterrent against pests because once taken up by the plant, it made its tissues unpalatable, and creating a deleterious effect on pests.. so they avoid it..
For the last year I have used one rose as a trial by regularly putting spent black tea around the base of the rose as a mulch... this Spring, the rose still has aphids, but I have noticed that it only has about a quarter the level of other roses nearby... it also only gets minor disease issues.. I can't say for sure it's the reason, but I shall continue with it on a rose or two..
@micearguers I've just seen your post above.. others may be able to help as I can't say I've heard of that... probably won't do any harm, but I for one couldn't advise there...
I would imagine that the best thing would be to plant in a way that encourages beneficial bugs and other predators into the garden that prey on the aphids.
Interesting about the Tannin Marlorena. We don’t drink tea though. Think the wife will definitely think I’ve taken my rose addiction too far if I tell her I’m making a pot of tea for Emily Bronte and Lady Emma Hamilton in the garden!
Guys... from Sat May 2nd, all our roses will start bursting into bloom... this is a good 3 weeks earlier than normal... that's if the weather outlook is correct and you get the same as me... I say this because in my area the night temps will not fall below 9C for over a week... it's when they drop below 8C at night, causes delays in roses opening their blooms.. once it gets to the 9's and 10's they open, even if day temps are not that high... 16 or 17C is fine..
I know some of us have already got a few here and there, but we should see a whole lot more from next weekend.. in a normal year this would be about the 3rd week in May, not the first week..
Nice pictures of the sparrows @Mr. Vine Eye (I think they are called Spuggies up here).
I find the little birds won't hop down lower than a couple of foot in my garden but I only have one this year that is heavily infested with aphids, a young Rambling Rosie. My bug of the year is the leaf-folding caterpillar but so far the plants have pushed past the folding and chewing.
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Lovely view from the dining room window while we were eating. So nice to see them!
Should be raining later
In 2006, Italian researchers published a paper about the effects of Tannin on plants... it was discovered that Tannin [found in Black Tea] acted as an anti-Fungal and also as a deterrent against pests because once taken up by the plant, it made its tissues unpalatable, and creating a deleterious effect on pests.. so they avoid it..
For the last year I have used one rose as a trial by regularly putting spent black tea around the base of the rose as a mulch... this Spring, the rose still has aphids, but I have noticed that it only has about a quarter the level of other roses nearby... it also only gets minor disease issues.. I can't say for sure it's the reason, but I shall continue with it on a rose or two..
@micearguers
I've just seen your post above.. others may be able to help as I can't say I've heard of that... probably won't do any harm, but I for one couldn't advise there...
Interesting about the Tannin Marlorena. We don’t drink tea though. Think the wife will definitely think I’ve taken my rose addiction too far if I tell her I’m making a pot of tea for Emily Bronte and Lady Emma Hamilton in the garden!
I know some of us have already got a few here and there, but we should see a whole lot more from next weekend.. in a normal year this would be about the 3rd week in May, not the first week..
I find the little birds won't hop down lower than a couple of foot in my garden but I only have one this year that is heavily infested with aphids, a young Rambling Rosie. My bug of the year is the leaf-folding caterpillar but so far the plants have pushed past the folding and chewing.
Love that colour on The Prince @Nollie