Soldier beetles are predators to a host of bad bugs including aphids and other soft bodies insects. Also known as leather-winged beetles, adults are less than half an inch long, and straight-sided with a red, orange, or yellow head and abdomen. Larvae are elongated and cylindrical except flattened on top, and have distinct, rounded segments. […]
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You’ve heard the term shrub, and you know what a rose is, but what in the world is a shrub rose? Aren’t shrubs those plants that you grow as hedges to screen you from your neighbor? Or some type of woody plant? Sunset’s Western Garden Book describes shrubs as “woody plants that live for many
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With the last substantial rains being a distant memory, summer temperatures and low humidity are ideal conditions for spider mites – a scourge of the season for roses and lots of other plants. Spider mites are related to spiders and ticks. With eight legs and an oval body 1/20 of an inch-long, they look like
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In the introduction to his book, Climbing Roses, noted rosarian Stephen Scanniello says, “Climbing roses are the acrobats and aerialists of the rose garden, the carefree plants that tumble over fences, scale walls and trellises, fling themselves over arches, and swing aloft on ropes and chains.” What an apt description of this large group of
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Syrphid flies, commonly known as flower or hover flies, resemble bees. The brightly colored adults are black or brown adorned with yellow banded abdomens and body markings. The broad head is about the width of the abdomen or wider and has large eyes with distinct antennae. The larvae of syrphids differ in appearance according to
The beautiful and interesting polyantha roses are a kind of rosarian’s secret. They’re probably not as well-known as other classes of roses, mostly because there are not that many that are classified as polyanthas. While it may be a rather small class of roses, it includes some highly rated varieties that have survived over a
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Grrrrr – while merrily tending my roses, I’ve come across another victim of the dreaded beast – the gopher. If this is not one of the gardening challenges you face, you can stop reading now. Since I live in gopher heaven, each season I have to deal with the damage from this voracious pest. And
English roses? Do roses really have nationalities? Certainly there are species roses that originate from a particular area or region of the world, like Rosa chinensis from China. But hybridized roses? Not really. So where does the term “English Rose” come from and what does it include? There is no formal designation by the American
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Lizards are definitely good for the garden. These easy to identify inhabitants, with their dry, scaly skin, four legs with clawed feet, and long tail, are generally six to nine inches long. You might find them basking in warm, sunny places or scampering around rocks, brush piles or other small, confined areas, fences and buildings.
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“A rose is a rose is a rose” is lovely poetry and evokes visions of wonderful blooms. Today, when most people think of a rose, they have a vision of a hybrid tea, roses they see in a florist shop or spilling out of a vase. Their classic high-centered beauty epitomizes the rose, and as
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