Evelyn, stay safe and be sure to keep us updated! Take care of yourselves.

sw_gardener said:Maybe I'll pull out my Zinnias and plant radishes. There's still enough time for them so I'll do just that.

Thinking about what Paula said, I can either watch my Zinnias die from multiple ailments or just rip them out and start something else.

That's the spirit, Steven!

Hoping all of our gardening friends who are being affected by fires, floods and other disasters will be safe - way too many bad things happening lately!

Do it, Steve. We all need plants that make us smile.

sw_gardener said:Evelyn, stay safe and be sure to keep us updated! Take care of yourselves.

Steven ~ Thank you so much for your kind and caring words. We are not allowed to return to our property just yet, and there is no telling when that will be.

That said, as of right now, our road has been secured by a very ambitious firefighter that lives on our road. He hosted a crew from Los Angeles Fire Department, and kept fighting it down to the river.

So, all is clear...for now. We do not know what is next, or when. We are still staying with a friend in Cameron Park.

I'm sorry this has happened to you, Evelyn. it must be so devastating and frightening. stay safe and let us know how you're doing.

Evelyn, I'm sure hoping all will be well.
Bugs, bugs bugs! I'm fighting a losing battle here. First Japanese beetles, then squash vine borers, then fruit worms, then stink bugs, now army worms, tussock moth cats that eat everything and I mean EVERYTHING!
I do have lots of predator wasps and mantids and birds but they can't keep up. I have more spiders than I ever have, but they can't keep up!
Worst year for plant pests I've seen in a long while.
On the bright side; I have at least 15 different species of native bees this year. Very few honeybees, most of them were killed off by the big freeze last winter. A beekeeper friend of mine told me hive die off was over 50%. No telling how high the wild honeybee die off was.
This is the time of the year that I say I'm quitting; its so hot and I'm having to water every day and everything looks so crappy…… but then I take a stroll down memory lane with my pics and I realize I'm just blowing hot air, literally as well as figuratively! So I will continue to learn from my mistakes, and have the best hopes for next year.

Brenda ~ Thank you for your kind and caring words. We are still in "Limbo", but not bad really. We know quite a few that have completely lost their homes.

So, as of now, we are in a better place. Of course there is no telling if it will stay that way. At least we have a friend that is willing to put up with us, as all the nearby accommodations are booked solid. So we are fairly close so we are able to check our mail and go up each time to see if we can at least check the property, but not yet.

Lynda ~ Are you feeling better yet? I keep you in my thoughts and prayers.🙏

I feel so much better! The newest c diff meds are working….. the ENT put me on another round of meds, but if it doesn't work he will put a tube in my ear. He will do it in office, so no big hospital bills.

Man i can't express how much i admire many of you guys determination and efforts in fighting sometimes losing battles. Your like the 600 in the Light Brigade. I only grow ornamentals and can't even keep up with the weeds. The only pest issues i have are mosquitoes and moles or squirrels [not sure what digs up newly planted bulbs and destroys them but doesn't eat them]. To op, hope you find the resolve to continue gardening in all its forms is good for the sole.

I am in awe of the resolve and energy of some gardeners also!

Since I gave up worrying about what bugs might or might not be doing to my plants, it seems a lot easier, but pulling weeds is always a formidable task. And lace bugs are tearing up the Lantana shrubs that I put a lot of effort into propagating, coddling, then moving out into the yard. I am confident that predators will come to the rescue, but for now, they are busy elsewhere I guess and the shrubs look terrible while waiting impatiently. I know, there are 'cides. I don't use them.

My style is to constantly pull whatever unwanted sprouts immediately as noticed, and I can tolerate the heat &/or the humidity, but when mosquitoes are eating me up, my surrender point is reached. So then it becomes a whole thing to which I have to commit to doing instead of wandering lightheartedly outside to "look at the plants" and ending up pulling a few weeds. To be able to tolerate weeding, I have to convince myself to get coated in disgusting bug spray, then heading immediately to the shower so I don't get that stuff on the furniture.

So what do I do? Buy more plants... I've noticed that when I need a spot for a new ground plant, I'm really great at clearing that little area of weeds. The bug spray seems ever so slightly less gross if being applied for that circumstance. I even know where my leather gloves are at these moments, because there's always a thorny berry vine sprout involved. Nothing will stop the grounding of new plants because I've spent the $ and if I don't do it, they'll fry in the black pot while I'm @ work. This backward rationalization and motivation may be the cousin of a back-handed compliment, but it gets the job done.

Saw fly larva are back on the muhgo pine, got bag worms on the leyland cypress, spotted lantern flies on the grape vines Give up -hell no! somebody is digging nice round tunnels in the sod and in the beds. at least the orb spider is taking out the big guys. she's always got dinner ready. when I get the chance{and you all know what that means} I'll get the big step ladder out and yank the bag worms off the cypress by hand. if they're up really high, I'll put the ladder in the pick-up bed and drive the truck up the curb to reach those nasty buggers. the cypress need pruning anyway so kill two jobs at once. at least I,ve got lots of bees and seeing them go from flower to flower loaded with 'gold dust' makes it all worthwhile.

I ended up removing the muhgo pine. it had become infested with saw fly larva again. it was in an area where the cosmos are blooming and the cosmos were loaded with bees. neem oil cannot be used when the bees are foraging. plus this shrub was next to the cypress where my cats hang out and I didn't want to take any chances with them coming in contact with chemicals. I was not happy about doing this but I felt that if i didn't remove the pine the saw fly larva would do it for me. I planted the pine about 12 years ago and watched it mature over the years so it was part of the family.

Bummer, Brenda! : (

I hope Evelyn is still OK...!

I feel you. First it was the maggots, then the flies, then the invasive "false albizia" and then all my cannabis sativa simultaneously died. After that, a hurricane slams the islands and we get a severe flood followed by a 2 month drought. Now I am seeing maggots on the tomatoes again. Oh no! Let me go kill them.

Tiffany and Jane...thanks for the understanding. I usually don't resort to drastic measures but due to the infestation well the mugo had to go. storm damage and drought and monsoon -like rains are out of our control{for now} so the only way to deal with catastrophes is to be as prepared as possible. but the insect damage/destruction really gets my blood boiling. I'm not one to reach for sprays and chemicals but, but with the bag worms still evident on the leyland cypress{not as many. I picked alot off on Friday and had the help of a tall friend}, those dreadful Lantern Flies and then the saw fly larva..I was in a nasty mood come Sunday afternoon. I'm about to cut down every evergreen on my property!!! and the photinia has black spot. thats a spray job coming up. copper solution. or I could just let them die and deal with that mess later. i look on the bright side. with the pine gone more room for more dahlias.

purpleinopp said:I hope Evelyn is still OK...!

Hi Tiffany! Yes, I am doing well. We got home this afternoon and the refrigerator has been cleaned out. I had to use a spatula to remove some recalcitrant mold, then scrubbed with a cloth with bleach water, followed by baking soda.
I'm tired now. I think we are due for an early bedtime. Freezer tomorrow.

Thank you for asking.

So glad you are back at home. Evelyn!
Brenda, I understand your issues with the line, and other plants.
I've been using copper for some time now, and find it very useful for many diseases. And it has less of a negative footprint than other compounds have.
I don't really like to use stuff either, despite what some folks think about me. But there are times when you have no choice.
I have had, in the last 6 years, some horrendous infestations of bad insects, and had to spray for them. I'm talking huge numbers that we're trying to defoliate my plants. I don't have the income to replace plants. And I'm not talking about a chewed leaf or two.
I don't do this lightly. I try many other methods before I resort to spraying anything in my garden. I've been handpicking cats, stink bugs and grasshoppers for weeks now. I will be doing some spraying this morning, but I will be using pyrethrum, which is natural made from a certain type of chrysanthemum. I am only targeting the foliage of certain plants that I hope to enter in the fair next week.

So glad, Evelyn! What a relief!

Best luck @ the fair, Lynda!

So relieved you're back home, Evelyn. what a horrible ordeal to go through. I hear the bears are moving into the Lake Tahoe area looking for food. I can only imagine the chaos! thank you Organicmama and Lynda for spraying tips and products. I have a helper lined up to do the actual spraying. He used to do this professionally for a big tree company. as long as what is being sprayed is not toxic to the bees and the cats I'll be good. Fat Cat was quite annoyed that the mugo was gone. it was his spot to nap but there are other things he can snooze under. good luck at the fair Lynda! hope all your hard work, blood, sweat and tears pays off. you've earned it!