Now is rhodendron deadheading season. Who does it? I do.
It surprises me that nobody does it to azaleas, either deciduous or Japonese. The need must be the same. Is it just too fiddly, or do the dead flowers not show so visibly?
In Belgium they do it the Belgian way. Viscount de Spoelberg, famous in Rhodo and Dendrological circles invited me to a rhodo deadheading lunch, where after a hearty and alcohoic lunch the party repaired to the garden for deadheading. I was stopped by himself deadheading a rare species set aside to set seed. There are risks.
Talc or flour will, to use the technical expression", ball it up. Soil also works, as it does with slug-slime. Followed by soap and water, of course.
Lots of soap and a rough cloth. White spirit, preferrably low-odour, is safer than petrol.
In a 'normal' season, I choose after rain or a heavy dew. That avoids the problem.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Nail varnish remover sometimes works on sticky stuff and I guess is safe enough for skin. Worth a try next time if it's something you have in the house. White spirit is also worth a try if you have it. The other thing I sometimes try is the "sticky stuff remover" that has citrus oil in it. Smells better than the other options anyway.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
We're having a tremendous problem at the moment with 'honeydew'? Everything around the house is covered with sticky goo, chairs, tables, watering cans, the car, the bins, door handles and all the plants. It's absolutely horrible and we can't sit outside. There are 6 large trees on the roadside verge including 3 birches so I presume it's aphid sap dripping down from them. It seems much, much worse this year than previous years.
I'm praying for a good thunderstorm, the sooner the better!
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Now is rhodendron deadheading season. Who does it? I do.
It surprises me that nobody does it to azaleas, either deciduous or Japonese. The need must be the same. Is it just too fiddly, or do the dead flowers not show so visibly?
In Belgium they do it the Belgian way. Viscount de Spoelberg, famous in Rhodo and Dendrological circles invited me to a rhodo deadheading lunch, where after a hearty and alcohoic lunch the party repaired to the garden for deadheading. I was stopped by himself deadheading a rare species set aside to set seed. There are risks.
Talc or flour will, to use the technical expression", ball it up. Soil also works, as it does with slug-slime. Followed by soap and water, of course.
Lots of soap and a rough cloth. White spirit, preferrably low-odour, is safer than petrol.In a 'normal' season, I choose after rain or a heavy dew. That avoids the problem.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I'm praying for a good thunderstorm, the sooner the better!
Most likely to be Lime. It's a B*****. The good news, unlike rhodies the stickystoff is water soluble.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."