Hibiscus vs. Aphids

This is my first hibiscus flower in a while (the red one; the white flower is from a Christmas/Thanksgiving/Holiday cactus that decided to flower in March). I was incredibly excited to see a bud-- until I noticed it was covered in aphids.

Photo via https://plantura.garden/uk/trees-shrubs/hibiscus/hibiscus-overview

Disgusting, right?

Luckily there was some insecticidal soap on hand, and a few sprays seemed to take care of them, allowing the flower to open. But they could still be in there, dormant, waiting...

I'm going to have to stay vigilant.

Tips on Dealing with Aphids on Houseplants

• Aphids can weaken plants, stunt their growth, or even kill plants. They also reproduce quickly. Take steps to deal with them as soon as you spot them.
• Aphids can be green, black, or white, and are easy to see with the naked eye.
• On hibiscus, aphids will congregate on flower buds, or at the tops of stems, to feed on sap. They excrete a sticky substance called "honeydew" that falls on the leaves underneath and causes something called sooty black mold. Sticky leaves and sooty mold are other signs that you have an aphid problem.

Photo via https://gardeninggroot.com/black-spots-on-hibiscus-leaves/

• You can control an aphid infestation a few ways: pick insects off by hand and drop in a bowl of soapy water; knock the insects off the plant with a blast of water (then collect and kill them); use insecticidal soap or another pesticide designed for aphids.

Make Your Own Insecticidal Soap

1 Tbs (15 mL) Castile soap 

2 cups (500 mL) water

Mix and pour into a clean spray bottle.

Spray plant thoroughly, including the underside of leaves. Keep applying every few days or weekly until all the insects are gone.

If you're unlucky enough to have aphids or another insect infestation on your plants, you have my sympathy. I wish you much luck getting rid of them.

Aphids are like the vampires of the insect world, sucking the lifeblood (sap) of the plant. Distract yourself by reading about actual vampires (they're a lot more fun and far less gross)-- check out my books (links follow)!

Do you have any other tips for dealing with aphids? Share in the comments...

My Books

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas unless otherwise noted.

Vampire's Garden

For anyone interested in herbs and plants (growing, using, history), I've got an ongoing series over at my main site. 

I started writing these posts because the main character of my novel Love Lies Bleeding (Amarantha AKA Mara) is a vampire that has a garden and an apothecary business. Some of you might have also noticed that the titles of my novels are also the names of plants :) Here's the full list (so far) of articles- enjoy!

Love-Lies-Bleeding

Comfrey

Lavender

St. John’s Wort

Dock

Yarrow

Chamomile

Garlic

Nettle

Bleeding Tooth Fungus

Hawthorn

Bloody Dock

Queen Anne’s Lace

Bleeding Heart

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Yew

Photo by Julia Filirovska on Pexels.com

Dragon Blood Tree

Meadowsweet

Blood Flower

  

Photo by Stream on Pexels.com

Bleeding Fairy Helmet

By Alan Rockefeller – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99546442

 

 Feel free to check out my books too!

 

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia

 

 

Review: The Amazing World of Orchids by Wilma & Brian Rittershausen

Confession time: I used to dislike orchids. I'm not sure why because they're absolutely beautiful plants. Of course now that I've developed a minor addiction to them I'm finding out how much work they are. They might not be particularly difficult to take care of, but they're labour intensive. Not to mention that there are so many different types and each one has different care requirements. If you're keen on growing your own orchids then I highly suggest picking up a book like The Amazing World of Orchids (or, really, anything by the Rittershausens, noted orchid authorities).

The Amazing World of Orchids definitely lives up to its title. I never realized how many stunning orchids there are, or how interesting these plants can be. The photographs are gorgeous and there's plenty of them--always a big plus in a gardening book. I'd go so far as to say it's worth getting just for the photos. But there's so much more to this book.

The Rittershausens consulted with the Kew World Monocot Checklist and the International Register of Orchid Hybrids to make sure all their information is accurate and up to date. Their thoroughness and attention to detail shows. While the book makes for dry reading at times it offers a wealth of information. From evolution and structure of the plants, to families and specific hybrids, to cultivation and care--whatever you might want to know is in here. Of course finding out so much about the plants proved to be a little daunting for me--I now have to wonder if I can really keep up with the care of multiple orchids. I did, however, discover how I should be caring for the one I do have (a Phalaenopsis), which led to me moving it to a much warmer spot in the house. It hasn't been there too long but so far so good. There might be a lot to know and do but once you have all the details--if you're not overwhelmed by what's involved--you can start raising orchids with confidence. And to quote the infinitely wise G.I. Joe, "Knowing is half the battle."

Even though I'm approaching this from the perspective of a novice, I think the book would still be useful to those more experienced with orchids. Besides all the pictures (and what plant-lover doesn't like to look at pictures of them?), the updated hybrid info and the plethora of information make this book worthwhile for even an orchid expert.

My only real criticism, and it's a fairly minor one, is that the print used for captions is tiny! I don't need glasses but I felt as though I needed to break out a magnifying glass to see what the captions said. Hopefully future editions will address this issue.

Other than that, this is a great book on orchids, one that I would recommend to anyone interested in the subject, or even those who are merely curious. I don't know why I used to dislike these plants but I"m glad I got over it.

Quote: "One of the orchids which was once widespread across this ancient land mass was Vanilla, whose pods are used for flavouring."

The Amazing World of Orchids by Wilma and Brian Rittershausen. Published by Quadrille in association with The Royal Horticultural Society.

[Edited to update link. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com] 

 

Promises of Spring

Spring is back! And with it the promise of warmth, renewal and new growth. The problem is that it also comes with a lot of waiting. Around here there's not much to look at besides sprouts, buds, and a few very early blooms (like crocuses), and the tantalizing warmth alternates with teeth-chattering cold. So in the spirit of inspiration and looking forward I thought I'd post a few photos from last year's garden. Enjoy (and click to enlarge)! 

Nothing says sunshine like dahlias: 

 

Canna, just before blooming: 

  

One of my favourite roses, 'The Fairy." Mini flowers (and tons of them) on a regular-sized plant: 

 

Note the tiny visitor on this sunflower: 

 

My first onion braid (and my first homegrown onions)!: 

 

No, this photo is not sideways: the hollyhock grew this way once it reached the top of its support: 

   

Of all the tomato plants I had in the garden last year this one was probably the most prolific. It's also the only one I didn't deliberately plant--it just sprouted on its own by the roses and I left it alone. Go figure:

  

Climbing rose, 'The Viking'  

Rose of Sharon:  

Hollyhock, 'Creme de Cassis':

   

'Heavenly Blue' Morning Glories totally live up to their name: 

   

Not Heavenly Blue but equally pretty (and self seeding!):

 

One of my tomatillo plant with "balloons" (the fruit grows inside them): 

  

I know I post a lot of photos of raindrop-studded Lady's Mantle leaves, but I just think they're so beautiful. Here the leaves are shaded by the fringe of hosta flowers:

 

'Limelight" Hydrangea and hosta flowers" 

  

Hosta flowers are underrated, imo; they look beautiful and smell lovely too:

  

Some of the poppies from the seeds my mom collected from her own garden: 

 

Look closely in the foreground to see the web and the spider in the centre: 

 

One of the few things whose arrival I'm not looking forward to-- the crazy-big slugs that seem to live around here (and at about 4 inches long that's one of the smaller ones I've seen): 

 

Couldn't resist sharing these photos (he and the orchid both like sitting next to the window, and I'm sure he can't wait until it's warm enough to open them again): 

Photos by Whimsy Bower

[Edited to update title, and for formatting and clarity. Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com]