Can someone tell me why I don't have any coneflowers? I like coneflowers! With all the flowers in my yard, I don't have a single coneflower. Not one. I'm going to have to fix this asap. Thanks for the pics. Love your "patch".
Kathy

What a great shot of my nemesis, the Japanese Beetle. I got rid of all my roses, hollyhocks, mallow, hibiscus and obedient plant because of those suckers. We do, however, enjoy feeding them to the frogs in our pond.

Your coneflowers are great -- I just added "Doppelganger" last year. Your first pink is a must-have.

They've actually been here a couple of weeks now, but the only thing I've ever found them on is a Pepper vine growing on the side of my potting shed. As long as they stay on it, I'll be happy. My DH wanted to cut it all down, and I said no way, it's my Japanese Beetle's food source!! I figure they love it so much, they won't go looking elsewhere for food!
Love your coneflowers, BTW.
Jan

Darn you Nancy - I spotted my first JB on a bloom in the seedling field. Why did you wake mine up? I donate my canna to them and they usually leave the other things alone. If they bother my Japanese maples, I am going to use the Bayer systemic for those next year.

Brooke

Jan, they are that way with morning glory vines here! THEY LOVE THEM! their favorite second source would be my obedient plants but neither are blooming yet, The hollyhocks are just starting to bloom but I haven't seen a one since taking that picture! Maybe they are camera shy and I skeered them away? LOL!
Brooke, I am SO SORRY for bringing up old wounds! I hate that! I also know those maples are one of their favorites so the positive is YOU ARE NOW AWARE! Break out the big guns hun!
Nancy

Nancy, very nice pictures. I too, like Coneflowers, but don't have a single one.

P.S. Don't want the beetles.

I think Brooke jinxed me! LOL! Why would you do that? I told ya all you had to do was break out the big guns! The beetles were back today with a vengence! ARGHHH! @#!&%*
There were 5-10 of those boogers congregating on my soon to bloom Hibiscus buds! RRRRRR...Spent a bit of time today moving them into my bucket of soapy water! Drown sucker drown!
Royce, when I first became interested in the coneflowers I brought a couple home from a friend of mine. They did not take to transplanting well so I went to buy my own. I'm always looking for a newer cultivar. I really like to sit and take a break to watch the butterflies and lil birdies feasting on them! I have one cultivar that hasn't bloomed yet that is a double decker coneflower and very different looking!
Don't worry I wouldn't wish these beetles on anybody!
Nancy

I've seen a couple JB's already, but I think they were early arrivals. I'm sure very soon, they'll driving me nuts again :(
Tammy

Hi Tammy, nice to see you posting again. Thought you and Gerard had run off and left us.

If there's one thing I hate beside SLUGS...that's JB's!!!! I don't think you can ever totally rid the garden of JB's but to keep down the population a bit I read somewhere that the trick is to hang the JB bags out in the very early spring, that has helped me keep my roses over the past couple of years. BTW, I hate mosquitoes, too!!
Marilyn

Hey Royce,

Just been super busy with trying to make some pretty crosses with my daylilies. I'm still around & try to keep up on reading, but I just don't take time to post often.
The daylilies I planted last year have kicked in now, so I spend a few hours EVERY day taking pics & pollinating. Of course, that's what the deer don't nibble the buds off of, and what pollen I can nab before the bees steal it all, etc., etc.
I shold be dabbing right now, but the bees ticked me off this morning on some pollen I really wanted to use, and my first & only (unbloomed) scape on Lies & Lipstick got nibbled off by the deer last night...........so I'm taking a break :)

Tammy

Tammy, sorry about the pests. Something seems to be ever present. Even with a greenhouse, spider mites are a BIG problem. Our weather has been very hot and dry. I think we have fewer mosquitoes this year than any I can remember. I have lots of deer and rabbits, but so far, they are a problem only in winter. I have about 4 rabbits playing around in the yard. This morning one did not see me and hopped to withing about 6 feet of me. As long as they leave the daylilies alone, they can continue to hop.

Here's the guilty party...............

{{gwi:633663}}

He's now getting so brave that he comes to the yard every afternoon.....in addition to his nightly visits.

I know he's sure doing a job on my poor daylilies. I'll have to go later today & try to find some spray. I've always just seen does & their younguns around before. They must be more timid than Mr. Buck because I've never had this much damage. My daylilies were just starting to pop all over, but he's putting the kibosh on them.

I've always loved watching the deer around, but if I wouldn't get in trouble for poaching, this guy would be in grave danger (freezer's about empty anyway)!!!

Besides the down side..........I've never seen one in velvet before (the antlers). That was pretty neat, but I wish he'd go away.

It's so nice to read your posts and see that no matter where we live we all deal with the same problems and pests.
As for the deer, do you have any advice or remedies for detering them from eating your plants. They beheaded my lilies a few days ago, along with my phlox, sunflowers, and a patch of cone flowers. I have had a little luck sprinkling blood meal around. They are so darn cute, especially the fawns but they are so destructive. I love the pictures posted here, and the fellowship you seem to have with each other.

daisy,

Just join right in :)

I've never tried anything before, but besides the commercial preparations (Deer Off, Liquid Fence, Repellex, etc.), I've read you can mix ground Ceyenne Pepper (buy it in bulk) with water & spray on the plants. Doesn't hurt the plants and it's suppose to deter the varmints.
You can also read this earlier post.
Other suggestions that have been made are to plant garlic, or use Milorganite as a fertilizer, etc.

Hope you find something that helps. I'm considering putting up an electric fence, but have to look into the $$.

Tammy

Tammy, very nice picture, but a high price to pay for a picture. Good luck;.

Tammy,
I've got about nine of those cuties runnin round here....Luckily they've stayed out of my gardens! My sister next door has found they've been in her vegetable garden! Your picture is very good, mine is not.
Nancy
{{gwi:633665}}

JB have been destroying my roses and coneflowers for about a month now. I hate them. I have been told that if you treat your yard in the fall and again the spring that it really cuts down on those beasts. I have tried some organic sprays but you have to spray all the time. They just keep coming back. Thank goodness they don't seem to like the daylilies.
Terri,

P.S. great pictures!!