Cold shifts garden bugs

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 638, 28 May 1996, Page 10

Cold shifts garden bugs

While we may at times not appreciate the variations of autumn weather at least fhp sriff frnsts mav heln tn

dispatch a few of the "nasties" which have been chewing big holes in the leaves of shrubs and some trees. The worst of these is a little green caterpillar which seems to favour the glossy green leaves of plants like the holly and, more especially, camellias. Cocooned in a sticky web, which sticks the leaves 'of the plants together, it busily chews away at the thick green surfaces of the leaves. Spraying with insecticide has little effect, as the spray cannot penetrate their tightly sealed home, but once the caterpillars leave home the affected leaves will die and drop off to be replaced by fresh growth. It may help for next season to note which plants are the worst affected and spray at the beginning of the growing season with a general garden, or a carbaryl spray and to follow this up until early summer when these pests begin to take over. Congratulations to Ohakune Garden Club and Yates New Zealand Limited for their enterprise in organising a hanging basket competition for next summer. That will be a challenge. Look to your laurels, Wanganui, here we come! Now is the time to design and plan your baskets for planting up later. It is good practice to plant up a winter basket to give a splash of colour in late winter — early

spring, using perhaps bright calendulas, pansies and the tiny tinkerbell series of violas which flower profusely with a sea of tiny faces. A lovely plant for a basket is pasochetus communis, the blue flowered Himalayan clover. A strong fast grower, it could be used to fill a basket on its own or used as part of a collection of plants. The plant trails well and the pretty blue flowers appear several times a year. Mine is in flower again now. For summer plantings the osteospernums, sometimes called dimosphotheca, could be useful as they will tolerate the drier conditions. D trailing mauve would be lovely trailing over the side of a basket and D Tresco Peggy, a deep magenta flower, is more upright. There is also a white one with a deep blue centre. V erbena candy stripe would be pretty in a basket and all of these are perennials which could be transplanted into the garden later. You will of course have lots of ideas of your own so go for it. Some of the lovely Ericas you can plant in the garden now are E Lintons red, rather taller with ferny growth and bright red flowers, and E melanthesa improved pink. Not a very imaginative name for such ari attractive plant. Quite a strong grower which very quickly sends up bushy spikes of bright pirik flowers. The callunas (heathers) winter chocolate and Robert Chapman are ideal for colour in the winter months. The cold conditions intensify the foliage colours. Both will make quite sizeable clumps. Plant now to flower in summer the perennial pentstemons P purple passion (sounds good doesn't it?) and P peace, a translucent white flower tipped light pink. These do well in well-drained soil in a sunny spot or some light shade. Verbascum Helen Johnson has lush light green foliage from which rise tall apricot flowers. The frosts last week put paid to any of the dahlias which were exposed to it. When the growth has really blackened and died remove it as soon as possible. The tubers can then be lifted as desired dusted with insecticide and stored in a cool dry place.