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Goat Willow Problems

Hi! I’m a novice gardener and have a goat willow bush which seems to have a few problems.

First i spotted black and green aphids all over the leaves. I chopped away the worst affected leaves and also released some lady birds, but there are still a lot of them. Any other suggestions?

Then second i spotted these weird wee bugs which i didn’t recognise. Are they also bad? Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    The big bug is a ladybird larvae and it's eating the aphids.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Lucky you,  your ladybirds have bred,  they are the babies. 
    Goat Willow is not something most of us want in the garden,  they spread everywhere and are a beast to dig up.  
    Our ‘no mow May and June’  have produced a forest of them 😱
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • MilpoolMilpool Posts: 11
    B3 said:
    The big bug is a ladybird larvae and it's eating the aphids.
    Awesome! I was worried I had some other creature to deal with :)

    Lyn said:
    Lucky you,  your ladybirds have bred,  they are the babies. 
    Goat Willow is not something most of us want in the garden,  they spread everywhere and are a beast to dig up.  
    Our ‘no mow May and June’  have produced a forest of them 😱
    Interesting! It was a well established bush when we took over the garden last summer and i haven't seen it spread elsewhere. Maybe i’ve mistakenly identified it though - is this pic definitely goat willow? Thanks! :)
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    It's going to be HUGE.  You need to get rid of it.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • MilpoolMilpool Posts: 11
    B3 said:
    It's going to be HUGE.  You need to get rid of it.
    Haha - ok! Is the main issue that it will just outgrow the space available / constantly need trimmed?

    Or is it generally not a great plant for my medium sized garden?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Not a great plant unless you have a decent acreage to play with  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Bee witchedBee witched Posts: 1,295
    Hi @Milpool,

    My garden is over 3 acres .... and I wouldn't want one.

    If you let it get much larger then it could be expensive to get it removed.
    There are far nicer garden trees ... with spring blossom, nice autumn colour, and berries for the birds. Crab apple or amelanchier would fit the bill.

    Bee x
    Gardener and beekeeper in beautiful Scottish Borders  

    A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
  • MilpoolMilpool Posts: 11
    Thanks all for the feedback - really appreciate it!
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    I really like goat willow - I would grow it if I had a few acres. I found a sapling, and if they're a certain size I can't bring myself to let them die, so I have 3 different trees in pots, waiting for autumn. 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    We have a huge one at the edge of our big pond. It was already there when we moved in almost 40 years ago and gets bigger every year. The birds love it for shelter, they all dive into it when startled or if the sparrow hawk comes by and the insects get nectar early in the year. There is a very tall larch tree on the bank above it and it would be about the same height on level ground!
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