But that’s OK, I’ve matured over time and will stay far from the ledge. I chalk it up to a learning experience and it makes for an interesting blog topic, so it’s all good. It’s not like I threw a shovel like a javelin or kicked the wheelbarrow over. Who would be so juvenile and do that? Onward:
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I was thrilled to see that the Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’ had finally emerged, but the deer were apparently thrilled as well:
This Heuchera ‘Blackout’ is covered with some white/gray substance and I cannot identify what it is. It isn’t bleaching from the sun and I don’t think it is botrytis based on the color of the spots. I’ll have to let it play out:
I planted another Heuchera a few weeks ago and it looked great for a while but now it is “crisping up”, as you can see in the “before” and “after” photos below. The culprit – I haven’t kept up with the watering during our recent heat wave.
We just had a week of 90 degree weather and heavy humidity and that is a recipe for powdery mildew. This fungal disease typically hits plants in shade while it is humid and is most common amongst plants that do not have enough space between them so there is minimal air circulation. My Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’ got hit:
As did a few of the Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’:
In the past, I’ve been good at keeping the proper amount of space between plants so they “can breathe” but with the heavy foliage growth this year, I’m realizing I failed quite a bit. Oh well, lesson learned.
Here is another problem that I can’t clearly identify. Doesn’t look like like powdery mildew or leaf spot so I’ll have to give it time to figure out what is wrong with the Lobelia Siphilitica (Blue Cardinal Flower):
Um, I should probably get to weeding this bed soon:
A plea for help. What kind of weed is this? It is EVERYWHERE this year and I need to understand why it is thriving:
And last but not least, this Arborvitae ‘Emerald’ is clearly leaning after getting the snot beat out of it by the winter winds. There is another one of these on the other side of the steps. I can’t just remove it and to dig it up and replant it would be a gargantuan task that I am not up for right now. But the leaning SOB is friggin killing me!
Thanks for making it through and I would love any feedback you have on any of my misfortunes.
John
That unknown plant is Penstemon digitalis. It seems to be native here. You can buy a red version in the nurseries. Mine are really spreading this year, but I’m encouraging them.
Isn’t it amazing how new uninvited guests show up at our garden parties and just thrive….I’ve got several.
I have such a windy yard that I’m just resigned to having leaning trees/branches. My crepe myrtle has a permanent bend to the right. I just think it adds character. (And really, I don’t think that tree/shrub of yours is leaning THAT badly :P)
If it’s any consolation, a young person once told me that my leaning trees looked like something Dr. Seuss would draw. They don’t just lean, they ~wave~. lol Deer are such a huge problem. Having dogs helps, but isn’t a cure. We have little chicken wire cages for everything and we had a “lynching” for one of my daughter’s old dolls that had a really scary face. The deer stopped pruning that particular group of trees. But then of course you have a doll hanging from your tree. hahahaaa….
Gardening can bring intense joy. It can also foster intense frustration! Believe me, I’ve been there. 🙂 I hope the spray works to keep the deer at bay. Your “weed” looks like a white-flowering Penstemon.
I have an arborvitae that fell over completely in the winter a year ago. It was propped up with a piece of wood in front and back and then tied to each (kind of like you would tether a new tree). It survived and looks find this year.
Eileen
It hurt me to look at all that deer damage. They are the most destructive garden creatures. I use a product called Hinder and it seems to work, but has to be reapplied every time it rains. I should get out this weekend and spray the lilies before they get hit. Good luck fending them off — to both of us!
It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one whose garden suffers from fungus and pests. But so sorry about the deer 🙁 We’ve had some problems with rabbits eating plants down to the ground, but no rabbits.
It’s important to write posts like this, and i’m glad you did. We all have highs and lows in our gardens, including deer damage, assorted insect and disease problems, wild plants where we don’t want them, and other challenges. Plus sometimes the hyped new plants don’t live up to their hype, or don’t live up to their hype in different types of locales. It’s not all sunshine and roses–sometimes the sun is just too much, and sometimes the roses are invasive multiflora. I enjoyed your post but other than recommended a 30-30 for the deer, I don’t have any insights except to ditch the ugly Emerald thuja, one of a very few plants I think ought to be banned for overuse. 🙂
OH DEER! You couldn’t just get into deer farming, could you ONG, and give up gardening altogether? Just kiddding. If you let the leaning Arborvitae have its way, it may yet prove to be a unique feature, not a blight. That’s what I do with the insurmountable.
Too bad the deer can’t eat the weeds…
I don’t think your evergreen looks bad at all, but if it bothers you, maybe try staking it? Maybe that would give it the idea to grow straight again.
Hope you have a good weekend!
John, you really have a deer issue. …..just in case you didn’t know. wow!! It would be hard to keep going after all that damage. Do you spray any Liquid Fence or anything on your plants????
Blogger comments are getting screwy… not sure if I can sign into Google —
Janet, Queen of Seaford
I have to say an interesting post to say the least. You made me laugh on the last one…well that and all the deer issues. We some how don’t seem to have an issue with deer here so I am counting my lucky stars.
ONG, my heart goes out to you regarding all of the sun damage, pests, disease and deer problems. Quite the horticultural battlefield you have there. Yet, despite all of that, you manage to maintain a lovely garden.
You have my sympathies, ONG. Your fellow-sufferer here in the tropics has mealy bugs, fruit flies, a hyper active terrier who loves to dig and squirrels!!!
All I can say is, we’ll survive…sigh.
Rosie
advice? kind of a big order…here goes the cliff note version:
Onward!!
(you’re doing great).
{btw, thanks for joining me in my corner of the world!)
Nice to find your blog. You made me feel right at home with your weeds. I have been planning on showing some before and after pictures but so far there is not after – theres just weeds.
Our yard is on a busy street corner and fenced so no deer but there is always a trade off, have you heard my traffic!
You do have a sense of humor. I’m praying over my plants!
Most of the plants are just beautiful, but I bought this Lavender plant to lure butterflys, and it is just doing awful!
The sad thing about it is that I’ve been bitten by so many mosquitos that I don’t want to back out there and move it. If it’s dead in the morning I’m going to feel terrible.
I’m going to look through your stuff and see if you have anything on Lavender.
Thank you, for looking at my blog.
Joey
Thanks for keeping it real man! Hope the deer fence works for you! I was so please with a little pruning and such on one bed last weekend and looked around this weekend only to realize I need to do that with all of my beds. good grief.
….and there was I moaning about the squirrels, foxes and badgers eating my vegetables!
I don’t know if it’d work for the deer, but it might be worth trying ….mince some garlic (and for extra pungency, you can mince an onion as well), then mix it with washing up liquid and water. Leave overnight for it to brew, then strain the bits out, pour the liquid into a squirter bottle and spray everything you don’t want eaten! You need to make new and re-apply every week or so.
Good luck!
This is an interesting read. Companion planting may help keep the pests and other unfortunate events at bay because a number of plant species are natural insect repellant. Also, watering the plants on a regular basis with just the right amount of water needed by the specific plant specie is the key to keep them healthy.
I here I thought I had probs on my little patio! So what it all boils down to is…that those of us who do any kind of gardening have…”the good, the bad, and the ugly”…apparently it goes with the territory! The deer situation is not one I’ve ever had so hopefully some of the suggestions offered will aid you in deterring them. BTW I had a hard time figuring out that your Arborvitae was leaning…space appears limited around it…would a guy wire of some sort be feasible?
Deer really are a problem, aren’t they? We have herds of deer in the woods here, but there is sufficient native food that they stay out of my gardens except to get water from a distant birdbath sometimes. I think having a large barking dog helps.
I think, these kind of gardens need sort of fencing. Secondly, those white spots on the leaves occurs due to the mites and for them you can find solutions here.
Great post stuart