This is the title of the second book of the set. I'll have to dig it out of the bookcase but it is just as interesting as the first one.

Sounds good. Look forward to learning more.

me too!

Both of these books are authored by Louise Riotte & published by Storey Books. Copyright dates are '75 & '83. I'm sure they are still in print. Not expensive or I wouldn't have them. I've had mine for many years

I'm going to be on the lookout for these books! I live next to a meadow so I think it would be really helpful to have these books to help with natural pest control.

I'm going to be on the lookout for these books also.

I got my first fancy rose a week or so ago, it's a grandiflora called 'Love' with red and white flowers.
I planted it up in a large 8 gallon container and today put 3 garlic cloves in the pot with it! My first companion planting of the year!

Here is a picture after I planted the garlic, you cant see it yet though

What better way to start than with roses? And it sounds so pretty. I saw a lavender color rose today... it made me want to plant some rose bushes too!

Thankyou I'm going to under plant it with some alyssum, portulacas and sunflax. I saw a pic where another member grew a potted rose with sunflax and it was really nice so she sent me some seeds to try. I will post another pic too when the garlic sprouts!

Well good news! Not only are we back online but the garlic I planted with my rose is starting to sprout! I planted in the sunflax with is last night. It's looks pretty good already even though I just planted it. OH! And the rose is starting to open! YAY!

that is great news! be sure and take a picture to document how fab it works at keeping the fungus at bay!

I will and I'll be putting in garlic with my other roses! I'll get a picture of the bloom this afternoon to show incase we get taken down again tomorrow.

Here is a picture of my rose in full bloom with more buds on the way!

the flowers are really pretty but a rather bizzare pink/red colour and its really hard to take a good close-up!

heres one from the side, kind of blurry but it kind of shows the two-tone blooms. Its much nicer in person!

I love it, so pretty!!! And your plant looks so healthy too!

Is it scented? I can imagine how it smells from looking at the pic!

Thank-you! At first I wasn't as much of a fan but now it's really starting to grow on me

When the bloom is closed it has no scent but today one is fully opened and there is a light fruit scent! Not as much as you would think though......

I have garlic all around my roses. Too much in fact so I'm having to dig out some of it. It is topsetting garlic and I didn't get it all dug/pulled last fall so the little bulblets took root and the cloves left in the soil sprouted and grew too close to each other this spring for anyone to do much. A rose really only needs a couple to 4 at the most around it for protection on all sides. I planted a few castor beans for vole protection but not many of them have come up. Too much moister in the soil I think.

If I'm not mistaken, the castor bean produces quite a large plant so maybe only a few will be necessary. Have they begun to grow? It really is an attractive plant, although poisonous.

Garlic, under the right conditions, will keep growing and spreading too. The good thing is, it be can thinned and harvested for culinary use.

BTW, Did you have the problem with voles before planting the garlic and castor beans? Because with very moist soil, you shouldn't have a problem with too many voles.

The castor beans can be a problem if you have children or pets around because of their toxicity.