By Jill Severn
In the spring and early summer, the world is full of perfect leaves, fast growth, and healthy, vigorous gardens. But now the solstice has passed, the heat’s been turned up – way up this weekend – and the easy part of the growing season is behind us. Now the army of aphids, the plague of black spot and the scourge of powdery mildew and fungus diseases are on the march.
Nearly all plants are unwitting hosts to insects and disease. Humans are clearly not the only critters who eat plants, nor are we the only ones troubled by mold, fungi and mildew. By later this summer, it will be hard to find a perfect maple leaf anywhere.
Some of us work harder than others to combat all these competitors. I’ve become an advocate for coexistence rather than perfection; it’s a lot less work. All those bug-chomped maple leaves don’t kill the trees, and I’m willing to share a bit of what grows in my garden with them too as long as they don’t get too greedy.
I used to be more concerned about appearances. I dithered for years about my phlox. It’s a tall, upright midsummer flower that gets “ugly leg syndrome.” Its lower leaves turn yellow or brown and wither, often halfway up the stem. There seem to be multiple causes for this, including fungus diseases, powdery mildew and possibly soil deficiencies. I tried a supposedly safe anti-fungal spray, but either it didn’t work or I didn’t use it early and often enough. I was plagued with guilt about my inadequacy as a gardener.
For a while, those ugly legs frustrated me so much I dug up all the phlox and got rid of it. Or so I thought. It grew back from root fragments left in the ground. So I finally did the sensible thing and just forgave the phlox for having ugly legs. Its flowers are still beautiful. And really, who am I to judge others’ legs?
Aphids are another matter. In small outbreaks, they are easy enough to defeat with a blast of water from the hose, or with a dousing from a spray bottle of soapy water. But that only works where you can reach them. I have a couple of climbing roses (though really they are incompetent at climbing) that are prime aphid habitat. Some of their branches are far above my reach. I’m still thinking about whether to let them be there, beckoning a billion aphids, or get out some long-handled pruners and give them a hell of a haircut.
Some of you may be far more ambitious about preventing or combatting these and other problems. If so, there’s a terrific online resource --https://www.growsmartgrowsafe.org -- that can help identify culprits and remedies. And even if you’re not ambitious, this website is worth perusing just to broaden your knowledge of what signs and symptoms to watch for and what your options are.
There’s an old organic gardeners’ aphorism about “healthy plants in a healthy soil” as the best preventive of all manner of maladies. It’s true. If you’ve achieved that at this point in the growing season, you’ve passed the test for competent gardener. When insects and diseases appear in the months ahead, no matter what you do, you have a right to silence your inner critic and have a guilt-free garden as long as you just keep it watered.
Jill Severn writes from her home in Olympia, where she grows vegetables, flowers and a small flock of chickens. She loves conversation among gardeners. Start one by emailing her at jill@theJOLTnews.com
The Link LonkJune 26, 2021 at 06:35AM
https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/the-easy-part-is-over,2286
The easy part is over | The JOLT - The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater - The Jolt News
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