Hello rose lovers. My roses are very late to open this year so still enjoying all your shares here. But while checking on progress this evening I noticed a good number of these hairy black caterpillars hanging out on the buds. I've not seen these before in the garden - I get a lot of aphids, which I leave for the ladybirds, and have had sawfly larvae, which get SQUASHED, but these are a new one on me. A quick google suggests possibly budworm. Which doesn't sound good...
I find liquid feed a bit of a faff so make up a full trug and then dunk the watering can in. I have the trug on a wheeled dolly so can drag it around.
New first blooms today Clockwise from top left-Rose de Rescht, Rhapsody in Blue, Boscobel and Jingle Bellssecond blooms-Diamond Eyes, Eglantyne, AbFab, Odyssey@Nollie if you like the colour then maybe Wildberry could work for you, it has thick rain resistant petalsI received a delivery today, @Mr. Vine Eye pictures and praise of Malvern Hills wore me downAnd just because
I don't spray any more, can't really afford to in a fairly large garden like this and don't have the energy any more. I sometimes squish them off (only if I've got gloves on!) and just hope they'll go away. The swifts have just arrived, do they eat them? Not seen many ladybirds around either. It's quite windy here most days so thought they'd not stick around much if I bought the larvae.
I don't know how it happened but I have almost no aphids this year. They were in the greenhouse and they are on some lower branches but most roses are clean. The birds are quite active around the established roses, so I think it's them doing the work. I certainly don't complain. (On the other hand, I have more blackspot than I've ever had in spring).
It’s all happening for you @Tack, lovely selection of blooms. Good to hear Wildberry is as rain resistant as promised, I will keep it in mind!
@RoseGirl sorry I don’t recognise it, but I did have a hairy caterpillar last year, with some yellow markings, that did munch buds. If nobody can ID it, try posting on the Insect of the Day thread to see if you have more luck there.
It’s been a bad year here for early blackspot and, for the first time, aphids. Curled and hairy sawflies are the worst though, much of my foliage is very shredded, no matter how much I squish, there is just far too many of the b*ggers!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
..fabulous 'Penelope' @Lizzie27 long time since I had that one... nice hips as I recall, too.
.. @tack oh wow, what a gorgeous selection of plants... your pots must be huge because that DA is dwarfed.. especially like 'Eglantyne' there.. and the little mauve plant at the bottom...
Thank you @Marlorena, the pots do take a lot of soil. The mauve plant is Verbascum Phoeniceum, I've been wanting it for some time and got a tiny one last summer so this is my first flowering. Edit the other mauve one is Erysimum BM
Eglantyne is one of my favourites, the scent and delicacy of the blooms are exquisite. In the background are the tomatoes which were finally put out into their final place today. Everything is so late.
I noticed a good number of these hairy black caterpillars hanging out on the buds. I've not seen these before in the garden - I get a lot of aphids, which I leave for the ladybirds, and have had sawfly larvae, which get SQUASHED, but these are a new one on me. A quick google suggests possibly budworm. Which doesn't sound good...
Can anyone definitively identify this chap?
I don't know, but not sawfly, I think. Budworm is not hairy. Gypsy moth perhaps? Not sure.
Beautiful pictures I wish I could smell them!! @Marlorena I'm back again and I've lost the label and the notepad I wrote it down in...
I've bought this from East Ruston old vicarage, it's a once blooming climber I think it may be a madam something,,, pretty please could you put me out of my misery... again! Thank you 😊
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Can anyone definitively identify this chap?
(On the other hand, I have more blackspot than I've ever had in spring).
It’s been a bad year here for early blackspot and, for the first time, aphids. Curled and hairy sawflies are the worst though, much of my foliage is very shredded, no matter how much I squish, there is just far too many of the b*ggers!
.. @tack oh wow, what a gorgeous selection of plants... your pots must be huge because that DA is dwarfed.. especially like 'Eglantyne' there.. and the little mauve plant at the bottom...
I don't know, but not sawfly, I think. Budworm is not hairy. Gypsy moth perhaps? Not sure.
@Marlorena I'm back again and I've lost the label and the notepad I wrote it down in...
I've bought this from East Ruston old vicarage, it's a once blooming climber I think it may be a madam something,,, pretty please could you put me out of my misery... again! Thank you 😊