Fall is an excellent time of year to prune trees for winter safety. Woody Shrubs can also use pruning at this time of year if you avoid pruning spring flowering shrubs to make sure you have blooms on them next spring. Fall is the best time to feed the root systems of trees and shrubs. Be sure to keep leaves raked off the lawn and beds all through the fall and winter.
Green Lace wings are the true beauties of the beneficial insect world. The larvae are the active insect predators and are sometimes called “aphid lions”. It has been reported that they can eat up to 600 aphids, each in their lifetimes. As, adults Lace wings are good pollinators for all your flowers and vegetables.
As the days get shorter and the nights become cooler, in Portland Oregon, the entire garden begins to wind down. There is still time for a few last splashes of color in the fall rose garden, but it is time to think of putting all of your trees and shrubs to rest.
Powdery mildews appear as white or gray powdery growth on the surface of leaves in the garden. This is rarely a fatal disease however; infected plants are unsightly and can make fruit and flowers unmarketable.
Plants pull moisture up and exhale it through their leaves in a process called transpiration. As temperatures climb, leaves can lose more water than the roots can absorb.
Through out the year at True Care, we deal with one of the most common, and destructive pests in the garden, from the smallest flower, to the largest tree; Spider mites. These mites are not actual “insects”. They are more closely related to ticks and spiders.
Tending roses can be intimidating to people. Roses do have a bit of a reputation for being difficult. However, roses don’t have to be an ordeal. With a just a little effort, Roses in the garden can be very rewarding.
One of the most misunderstood tasks that a gardener faces is the problem of watering. The Pacific Northwest has an abundance of rain during the winter, but summers are usually dry when plants need the water the most.
Parasitic wasps parasitize a variety of insects such as aphids, caterpillars, beetle larvae, flies and hornworms, at different growth stages. Few species of parasitic wasps sting, and then only when they’re mishandled.
These can be serious pests of trees, shrubs and indoor plants. There are roughly about 6,000 species of scale insects in the world.
