Grasshoppers

by Koleta
(Guymon, OK USA)

Why do my daylilies get so ratty looking?

(Massachusetts)

All my daylilies start off strong, but by mid-season, they always look bedraggled. The leaves get what looks like rust spots on them and many turn yellow and die back. Is this normal? Is it because of too much or too little water? I try to cut back all the stems when it looks like there are no more blooms to come, but keeping up with all those dying leaves is just too much. I'm in zone 6 with a sandy soil that I constantly amend with compost. I use no other fertilizers.

Echinacea strems turned black

by Pay
(New Jersey, USA)

Almost all of my Echinacea turned black this year by early August. They are newly planted and I tried to keep them watered in the heat. Any ideas? I never had this happen before.

Delphiniums

by Ann
(Shepherdsville, KY )

What does it take to grow delphiniums? I have tried to grow them from seed and grow bought plants both with no luck. I know my soil is okay because my other perennials do fine in this area. Do they require filtered light etc. I have always planted in full sun and if they do live, they never survive the winter. I live in zone 6.

organic sprays

by Diane Stevens
(Mancelona, Mihigan (zone 4-5))

I love being organic but I find it to be rather expensive. I used 70% neem oil on all my vegetable garden this year spraying every two weeks. It was very successful--no mildew or squash bugs. I'm hoping to find a source where I can buy the concentrate in a gallon container. The largest I've found has been a pint. If you have any suggestions re this matter I would appreciate it if you'd let me know.

Slugs

by Richard
(Minnesota, USA)

I have slugs in both the shade garden and the sunny location. Leaves on hostas are shredded. All the gardens have shredded cedar mulch. What's the solution?

Beauty and the Beast with no happy ending

I have a beastly bug that adores my fall anemonies. It is black, about 3/4 inch long with a gray stripe on each wing edge. They come in multi family groups and will defoliate the plant leaves and flower buds. It looks like a blister beetle except fpr the gray and it doesn't make blisters when squashed - personnal experience. Any ideas?

Doug says take a good clear, closeup picture and then upload it to the pest identification page

Plants turn black in late summer

by Diane
(Exton, PA )

My coneflowers, rudbeckia, and others stop flowering in mid summer and the stems turn black while ohter gardens are still blooming. I am in zone 6.