Bugs

Holes in leaves can be caused by vine weevils . Go out at dusk and pick them off. They seem to like our rhodys. The deer like our camelias, (The same family of plants as tea) It does seem to stress them out and they don't flower for several years after that. We have no purple broccoli left so I have come to the conclusion that it is snails rather than slugs eating them.

Have a flock of pigeons that my neighbour & I seem to have inherited from an owner who doesnt bother with them. Have not seen them eating any of our bushes so far! Maybe because there are too many other smaller birds living in the bushes? All seem to get on ok & the beautiful very noisy Starling babies have been in the gardens lately & again all getting on. Has anyone else seen baby Starlings bathing in their drinking water? So funny as it started with one adult. Bringing their kids up right aren't they? Love all my resident birds & the ones that just visit like the Jackdaw earlier!

We used sturch to control the slugs, it’s an alternative to bark

www.fargrohomeandgarden.co.uk/plant-and-lawn-care/mulch/straw-mulch/strulch-organic-straw-mulch-9kg-bag-frost-protection-wheat-straw-garden-mulch-100l?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=22317107201&utm_content=&utm_term=&gadid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22317112703&gbraid=0AAAAADwXWv-tAMkwUVA3rzgZlu9jVFYDp&gclid=CjwKCAjwuIbBBhBvEiwAsNypvZhVxbjF23bQZr3W5rHmwzSYoCnEriCp0EM-YNrkJK5hp47Sn1KEWxoChB0QAvD_BwE

I use the slug traps, put some beer in the bottom empty every couple of days its surprising how many want to drown in beer

As an aside, does anyone know if there are predators for the horrible grey/green large aphids that just love my lupins? The birds seems to ignore them, as do the ladybirds and their larvae.
I second the beer traps for slugs. They do seem attracted to it.

Greyduster

Pigeons have decimated my plum tree year after year and this year I hung old CD’s in the branches in an effort to deter them (Cliff Richard - that should do the trick!) because there are a large number of plums setting and I’d rather like to have some! It seems to be working.
Some pests you have to resort to searching out and picking off by hand - like the grubs that were hatching in the growing points of my delphiniums.

I read that a toy snake in the branches frightens the pigeons away. Not suggesting any similarity between CR and snakes!

Aphids on Lupins can be treated with soapy water, but I did read that companion planting with strong smelling herbs deters to aphids.
My Lupins are in planters to avoid the slugs, I might move the mint closer to them and see what happens.

Just a warning that the mozzies are out. I only spent a short time in the garden and am covered in red lumps. And I only bought some new Jungle Formula the other week but didn’t bother to put it on.