April Showers

So I know this area around my bird bath is not very manicured but I wanted to show you how well the plants are filling in. In my defense, it has rained everyday for nearly two weeks so I have not had the opportunity to weed. Further, the DH was able to mow late yesterday evening but ran out of daylight before he could edge. But just like our lives, this area is perfectly imperfect.

Here's another shot of my veggie garden. The rain has been good to these plants. They are growing, blooming and setting fruit. As soon as I have a dry 48-hour period, I can start spraying for bugs, particularly aphids which have been hanging out in our yard.

Aphids Suck!!!

All six of my crabapple trees as well as my key lime tree are currently infested with aphids, which are slowly, but surely killing them. Aphids pierce stems, leaves, etc and literally suck the fluids from the plant.

Below is a closeup of the little blood suckers:

Once I noticed the damage, I was unable to treat the trees for several days, during which time they multiplied rapidly. Still, an application of Neem oil should do the trick. I plan to follow up with a second application in a week's time just in case.

Funny, just when I felt like I was running out of ideas for my Examiner page, Mother Nature throws one in my lap. Learn about the full course of treatment here.