November 25, 2013 by Born To Organize

Magnolia vs Scale: This Tree has Game

Tulip Magnolia
March, 2012 BC (Before Scale)

All is not lost!

Last week I wrote about my struggling tulip Magnolia. It’s infested with scale, a nasty soft scale insect. It’s been a problem for two seasons. You can continue reading, or pop over to this page to view graphic photos.

Did you go look? It’s not pretty, is it?

I met with a certified arborist today to discuss the tree’s plight. The arborist nodded and said ‘yes it’s a problem,’ and agreed that gardens with tulip magnolias frequently harbor scale. He went on to say the problem is systemic and that most treatments don’t work.

He did, however suggest a fairly new product that has recently shown promise. Bayer Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed. It’s applied at the roots so no spraying. Further, it’s supposed to have minimal impact on beneficial insects, always a concern. I’m going to give it a try. He said improvement wouldn’t happen ‘over night’ but that with time, it may help. He noted the green shoots on the tree and the lack of mold as two good signs. Apparently all my scraping and washing helped.

Two hours worth of scale removal.

The arborist also approved of the banding my husband banded did last summer. It’s an ant barrier, a sticky substance that the ants won’t cross. Since ants protect the scale in order to harvest the secreted honeydew, it’s another step toward protecting the tree.

Hope, renewed.

In other news…

Special thanks to Betsy of What’s Green With Betsy!?! and Pauline of The Contented Crafter for including me in there list of recommended bloggers. I’ll write more about this later in the week.

Liebster Award: Discover New Blogs
The Versatile Blogger Award

March 25, 2013 by Born To Organize

Beauty Down Under

Have you ever noticed the beauty of a flower, down under?

I’ve grown to love the view through my camera lens. The narrowed focus and clarity allow me to see things I might miss. Who knew that vibrant purple tulips rise from their stem with a subtle brush stroke of cream. Nature imitating art?

Looking Up

Freesias curl from a chain of looped, waxy stems. Soft yellows fade to white, then splash out an intense magenta. They’re intoxicating too, drawing my nose toward the planter whenever I walk by. I love these colors. I’m dreaming of a summer dress with a yellow bodice and a fuchsia skirt. Surely one of the fashion houses has thought of that.

Freesias

Look closely. I think this Cyclamen brushed on magenta eye shadow at the start of the day. Too shy to flirt with the world, she keeps this side of her hidden down below.

Cyclamen ‘Eye Shadow’

The Tulip Magnolia sport ‘fingers,’ pulled together as if to wave at passersby (or…let’s face it), the coming and going snails. I love it, warts and all.

Magnolia Tulip Fingers

As I child I liked to view the world from different perspectives. I imagined the house as if everything were upside down. Watching clouds while sprawled on my back connected me to the world in a different way. I probably spent too much time day-dreaming, the hallmark of an introvert though I also craved real-world connections. As an adult, I enjoy both. Human connection and solitude. I’m a social being who craves unfettered time alone. What better place to find it then in the garden, down under.

Watercolors

March 16, 2013 by Born To Organize

Snails and Scale: A Winning Combination?

No!

Scale to the left, snail to the right,

No, I’m pretty sure it’s not a winning combination. For now, however, it’s what we’ve got. Ugh.

We had a major infestation last summer, with little to do for it while the tree was blooming. I pruned close to 30% of the branches, removing the worst of the infestation. Then, we waited.

Early this year, while the tree was dormant, I worked at removing all traces of the pest. Once I’d scraped away the hard scale, I took a bucket of warm soapy water, and wiped down every single branch, removing the black, sooty scale as well. I checked the tree the following day, removing what I’d missed.

They’re back! The infestation isn’t *as* bad, but it’s back nonetheless.

The interesting turn of events is the snails. I counted six or seven of them as I inspected the tree. I was momentarily hopeful. Could it be that this garden pest would actually snack on the scale?

That was a long climb to slime a flower

Scale encrusted branch

Snail making tracks

Y do you ask?

Nope! My research tells me they eat fruit, leaves, even paper, but not scale. Boo!

If you’re looking for pet snails, these are free for the asking. Time to move on to plan C.

March 13, 2012 by Born To Organize

Magnolia Liliiflora, You Make my Heart Sing

Our Beloved Tree

We have two Magnolias in our yard, equally magnificent but unique. The more traditional tree, a grandiflora st. mary towers over the house and provides shade and shelter for neighborhood birds. It’s also an evergreen so we tend to take if for granted since it’s covered in shiny green leaves year round. It produces huge white blooms, and lemon-sized seed pods.

The smaller, more compact Magnolia is only about six feet tall. It started out in the back yard, where it suffered from a fungus every spring. We transplanted the tree to our front yard where it now happily thrives. The Tulip Magnolia (magnolia liliiflora) is deciduous. It starts to wake up in early March with a show of pink and fuchsia, tulip-shaped blooms.

Ah, spring. All kinds of goodies in store.