A Garden Clean Up Reminder

Late winter is clean up time for wildflowers and grasses. By then the goldfinches have striped the rudbeckias, coneflowers, and agastaches bare of their seeds, the fluffy seed heads of the ex-asters have blown about the garden and the grasses which provide winter cover for small critters are looking ratty from the rain, wind and occasional snow falls.

Phlox paniculata's fall color

But, I never, ever, leave the summer Phloxes standing all winter. Once they've been flash frozen I cut them to the ground and trash all the cuttings.

Phlox after a frost is still pretty, but it has to go. There might be bug eggs hiding!

Trashing the dead leaves and stalks is an essential first line defense against the Phlox Plant Bug.  Lopidea davisi is a plant juice/sap sucking insect that feeds mainly on perennial phlox. This is not a pest to ignore. I found out the hard way! They can form dense populations and suck the life juices (sap) out of your plants. The clever little adults lay white-colored eggs in the fall in stems of the plant, behind the leaf petioles. The eggs overwinter  and nymphs emerge in early May. Two or more generations could develop in a season.


Phlox Plant Bugs are tiny and fast moving critters that hide underneath leaves and make it hard to see and smush! So far they don't seem to be a tasty treat for the beneficial insects or birds that visit my garden. Perhaps, their orange and black coloration signals stay away to most insect eating critters.

The Phlox Bug~soon the leaves with turn yellow and die

It's easy to see how they could get established in the garden if we're not vigilant.  That's what happened here a few years back. I'm glad to say that I've finally gotten it under control.

 Phlox paniculata is a foundation plant at Clay and Limestone. The Bumbles, butterflies, skippers and a variety of pollinators rely on it for nectar and pollen during our dry and droughty summers. I count on it for color and beauty. It's a tough plant, but it needs help when challenged by a pest like Phlox Bug.

Here's what you can do starting right now to make sure it never gets a proboscis near your phlox!

• Practice good sanitation. Cut back and dispose of infested stems and leaves. Clean up stem and leaf litter in the winter. I cut back every stem I find and threw them in the trash, not the compost. Compost works if yours gets hot enough to cook bugs! Mine doesn't.
• Scout for nymphs and treat. Apply insecticidal soap to both the upper and underside of the leaves. Use a light horticultural or sunspray oil. I haven't had to up my treatment to this.

You might not have this pest in your garden, but, cutting back and disposing of the stems and leaves will go a long way to insure that you won't ever see one of these nasty pests on your Phlox.

Just in case you forget, I'll post about this next fall, too. I pinky swear!

xoxogail

PS Of course you know that I never, ever, ever, ever use pesticides in my garden. I love my bees and other pollinators and don't want to risk causing them harm.

xxoogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Phlox Fall Care Essentials!

The fall colors of decaying plants are surprisingly pretty long into winter.  They brighten the garden and make the transition to winter's browns easier. I leave most of the wildflower seed heads standing until late winter at Clay and Limestone.  After all, I garden for wildlife and goldfinches feed on the coneflower, rudbeckias, agastaches; the grasses provide cover for small critters; and, I like how it looks. But, I never let the summer phloxes stand all winter.  Once they've gone to seed and browned, I cut them to the ground.

Ready to be cut to the ground

 This is an essential first line of defense against the Phlox Plant Bug. 

This is the nasty critter with proboscis in use

Lopidea davisi is a plant juice/sap sucking insect with a long proboscis and that feeds mainly on perennial phlox. The clever little adults lay white-coloured eggs in the fall in stems of the plant, behind the leaf petioles.

Phlox after a frost is still pretty, but it has to go. There might be bug eggs hiding!

The eggs overwinter and nymphs emerge in early May. Two or more generations could develop in a season.  Hoky Smokes! You can see how it wouldn't take long for them to get well established in the garden. Cutting the plant to the ground and destroying the dead stalks and leaves is essential!

The bug feeds on leaves, stem terminals, flowers and seeds

This is not a pest to ignore. They can form dense populations and suck the life juices (sap) out of your plants.  Take a look at the photo from the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  This is in the early stages before the Phlox Plant Bug has gotten horridly out of control!  As you can clearly see, feeding causes light green/white spots on the leaves where the plant's juices have been sucked out!  Later in the season, leaves stipple yellow, turn brown, curl, dry out and drop. The plant often becomes stunted and dies.

Phlox Plant Bugs are tiny; less then 1/4 inch, fast moving critters that hide underneath leaves and make it hard to see and smush!  As far as I know, they don't seem to be a tasty treat for the beneficial insects or birds that visit my garden.  Perhaps, their orange and black coloration signals~"Stay away" to most  insect eating critters.   

Phlox is a foundation plant at Clay and Limestone.  It was here before me and I hope it's still here after I leave this garden. In the meantime, I will do what I must to keep the garden free of Lopidea davisi without resorting to the big gun pesticides.

• 1. Practice good sanitation. Cut back and dispose of infested stems and leaves. Clean up stem and leaf litter in the winter. I cut back every stem I find and threw them in the trash, not the compost. Compost works if yours gets hot enough to cook bugs! Mine doesn't.
• 2. Scout for nymphs and treat. Apply insecticidal soap to both the upper and underside of the leaves. Use a light horticultural or sunspray oil. I haven't had to up my tx to this.
• 3. I never, ever, ever, ever use pesticides in my garden... whether or not they are recommended  in the Integrated Pest Management program. I love my bees and other pollinators and don't want to risk causing them harm.

I hope this pest isn't in your garden.  It's a known problem in the eastern US and some Midwestern states. Canada, you aren't exempt! Even if it's not a problem, go ahead and trash the decaying phlox.  Trust me, this will go a long way to ensure it won't become one.  It worked in my garden.

xxoogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone."