On the right side of the back yard, there once grew 3 rose bushes. One day while admiring my growing plants, I moseyed on over to the roses to take a look, and maybe even get a whiff of rosy perfume. But Nah-ah! No smelling of the roses occurred. As my nose started getting close, I noticed these:
OH, they were EVERYWHERE on the roses! No newly formed bud or leaf was left untouched. I did some quick reading online, and decided the aphids and mealybugs must die!
The first step was to enlist some help. With a sprayer full of hot soapy water in hand, Boy Wonder went to work hunting those bugs down, and drowning them in hot suds. Lil Brother enjoyed watching the hunt.
After the three bushes were thoroughly soaked and sudsed, I proceeded to cut every last living piece of greenery off of the rose bushes. After this task was completed, and only 3 thorny, greenless stumps remained, I remembered how hardy, and what fighters roses can be... "These guys will grow back, and I'll have more infestations for sure..." I knew the only option was to remove the rose stumps.
"But once these rose bushes are gone," I thought, "there will be one eyesore of a plot of dirt in our backyard." It was then that I decided to ask Matt if we should still consider moving to a different house in August... We both (rather quickly) decided that we enjoy this house a lot, and that the thought of moving for a fourth time in seven years really is NOT appealing...
"So what happened to that eyesore of a plot of dirt?" You ask? Well, the Little One just woke up, and I have to go get
Boy Wonder from school, so you'll have to check back to find out!
OH, they were EVERYWHERE on the roses! No newly formed bud or leaf was left untouched. I did some quick reading online, and decided the aphids and mealybugs must die!
The first step was to enlist some help. With a sprayer full of hot soapy water in hand, Boy Wonder went to work hunting those bugs down, and drowning them in hot suds. Lil Brother enjoyed watching the hunt.
After the three bushes were thoroughly soaked and sudsed, I proceeded to cut every last living piece of greenery off of the rose bushes. After this task was completed, and only 3 thorny, greenless stumps remained, I remembered how hardy, and what fighters roses can be... "These guys will grow back, and I'll have more infestations for sure..." I knew the only option was to remove the rose stumps.
"But once these rose bushes are gone," I thought, "there will be one eyesore of a plot of dirt in our backyard." It was then that I decided to ask Matt if we should still consider moving to a different house in August... We both (rather quickly) decided that we enjoy this house a lot, and that the thought of moving for a fourth time in seven years really is NOT appealing... "So what happened to that eyesore of a plot of dirt?" You ask? Well, the Little One just woke up, and I have to go get from school, so you'll have to check back to find out!
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