“Harvesting” Tall Ornamental Grasses by Gardener Dave

In the last several years, ornamental grasses have become very popular in our area. Many of these grasses grow quite tall, to 5 feet and even much taller. They generally remain quite attractive during the winter in their dry state, unless the snow breaks them down. Then they become unattractive and messy. They can be cut down after they are dried, in the fall, winter or early spring. I leave the shorter varieties up, but I make it a practice to cut the taller ones before we have a heavy snow. My row of Miscanthus “Morning Light” clumps along our front steps has grown too large to leave up during the winter, even though they were planted over 3 feet away from the steps. Uncut, they would also take up room that I need to deposit snow shoveled from my steps.

Handling these long grasses once they are broken down and cut off can be very messy, and the individual dry blades are pesky to chase in a wind and pick up if not tightly bound together. I have found that the best way to handle these tall grasses is to cut them before snow comes.

Bundle them before cutting, using long (approx. 3-foot) plastic “Zip Ties”. These are available at the “Big Box” stores such as Home Depot and Lowe’s in packages of 10 or so. You can put two or more of these ties together end to end to make a tie of the length needed, placing them about halfway up the grass bundle. Tighten them gradually as you cut through the stalks – I prefer using an electric hedge trimmer for cutting at about 6 inches above the ground – and you will wind up with a tight, compact bundle.

The plastic ties can be removed and re-used if you want to tie the bundles with twine, etc. for disposal. Just insert the tip of a small flat screwdriver into the tie where the “zipper” locks, and it can be easily “unzipped” and removed. However, I prefer to leave a (shorter) plastic tie on the bundle for trash pickup, especially if your trash pickup will be several days in the future. The plastic tie can be easily re-tightened as the bundle dries, whereas cord or twine is not that easily re-tightened and may allow much of the dried grass to slip out when someone tries to pick it up.

I hope you find this “handling hint” useful. I have chased too many loose dry ornamental grass leaves in the wind to do the job any other way. I hope the snow has not yet broken your tall grasses down!

Cheers,
Gardener Dave

Yard Art Celebrating the Solstice by Carol King

DON’T GET FRESH WITH ME by Carol King

Picture courtesy of freephoto.com

Are you thinking of getting a fresh Christmas tree this year? It seems that there are tree lots on every street corner: The big boxes, the corner store, nurseries, garden centers; everywhere. So how on earth do we choose one? Here are a few simple steps that will ensure you get the freshest tree and keep it that way. When buying a fresh tree, check that the needles bend rather than break with gentle pressure; shake it carefully to look for needle loss; and check the cut end: it should be sticky with sap. If these conditions exist, buy your tree and take it home. First, make a new cut at the end of the trunk about an inch above the old one. Keep the cut end standing in water, whether you decorate the tree immediately or not. This allows a fresh route for water to travel into the trunk. Check the tree's water level frequently, and refill as necessary. Fresh evergreen trees can take up an amazing amount of water. If the water level drops below the trunk, a seal will form, preventing the tree from absorbing water. Keep your tree away from heat sources such as a heating duct or television set. A fresh tree that receives good care should remain in safe condition indoors for ten days to two weeks.

After the holidays, there are several options for your tree other than the landfill. Recycle your tree or mulch it in the garden. Most municipalities in the Denver area have recycling available. Contact your own city or county. Never burn your Christmas tree in the fireplace (the pitch content in the bark and needles can cause them to burst into flames from the intense heat).

Or do something whimsical: right after Christmas, move the tree outside and decorate it with popcorn, fresh cranberries, peanuts in the shell, pine cones with suet and birdseed; apples, rice cakes, dried corn bundles. Use natural string, ribbon and raffia for hanging. The birds will use this material for nesting in the spring, after the food is gone. In the spring, trim off the branches, mulch those in the garden and use the frame of the tree to create a bottle tree. Place colored bottles of all kinds on the stub ends of your tree. Put in a location to glisten in the sun and enjoy! Tradition says that bottle trees protect the home from evil spirits by trapping spirits inside the bottles, where they do no harm. With a little imagination, dear gardener, your tree can provide enjoyment all year: the traditional tree at Christmas; a home for birds to gather and feed, garden mulch and finally a wonderful piece of folk art created by your family.

Jefferson County Master Gardener Achievements

Ceci Droll, Friend of Extension Award Recipient

Jefferson County Extension Office celebrated Master Gardener Achievement Night on Thursday, November 13, 2008, at the Jeffco Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall. Approximately 100 master gardeners and their guests attended the event.

Rusty Collins, Extension Director and Heather Hodgin, Horticulture Agent commended the group on their outstanding service to the Jefferson County community. During the past year, the gardeners volunteered more than 3700 hours toward helping Jefferson County CSU Extension reach its goal of empowering county citizens and enhancing their quality of life through education, innovation and excellence in service. Jeffco Master Gardeners answered gardening questions at the hotline, office walk-ins, plant clinic, e-mails and house calls. They staffed booths at the farmers’ markets, fairs garden shows, etc. The gardeners wrote newspaper articles worked in class rooms and with the green industry. They also presented educational programs and assisted in community greening projects such as Habitat for Humanity, the Courage Garden, and various school garden projects. All in all, Master Gardeners provided Jefferson County residents with $76,000 worth of free gardening advice during 2007-2008.

The highlight of the evening was the Friend of Extension Award presented to Cecilia Droll by Jefferson County Commissioner, Kathy Hartman. Ceci is the oldest master gardener certified in Jefferson County. She graduated in 1976, the second year of the program. Her devotion to the program is paramount. She has written newspaper articles, taught senior citizens gardening at the Jeffco County Health Department, engaged in outreach efforts at malls, planned, administered and judged at the Harvest Shows. At 95, Ms. Droll continues to be a dynamic force in the Master Gardener’s program. And she has a hug waiting for you as well!

Certificates of recognition were given to two year, ten year, and fifteen year gardeners and peer honors.

For more information about the Jefferson County Master Gardener’s program or for gardening advice, please call the Extension Office at 303-271-6620.

Achievement Night Highlights

Over-Wintering Perennials

Winter survival of our precious perennials is always a major concern. Keeping a few things in mind will help them come though the cold season. Remember that our chief winter enemies on the Front Range are: soil dryness, drying winds, fluctuating temperatures, and “false springs”. Plants in containers are especially vulnerable. If you want to experiment with over-wintering perennials in containers, the bigger the container the better. Barrel-size containers can work if they are somewhat protected from our drying winds and temperature extremes. I would not consider trying this with clay pots, even large ones, because damp soil can expand and crack them when they freeze. Thick wooden containers, or “closed-cell foam” plastic containers do provide some measure of insulation during temperature fluctuations.

Soils with a large amount of air space; sandy/gravelly soil, or soil with an over-abundance of organic or moisture-retaining materials, can actually let cold air penetrate more deeply, thus damaging plant roots. Nursery plants that have been rooted in very light “soil” material are susceptible to cold penetration even if they have been planted (sunk into) your regular garden soil. Winter soil moisture is critical. If we have little or no snow cover, water every 3-4 weeks on warmer days that will allow water to penetrate before it freezes. Keep the (dead) topgrowth on perennials as much as possible in winter. If we do have snow, any remaining topgrowth will catch snow that will add to soil moisture when it melts. Mulching around perennials is extremely important. It helps to retain soil moisture and reduces soil temperature fluctuations. A layer of shredded bark, pine needles, or other insulating material 3” deep or more will help greatly. Avoid using fallen leaves, these can mat down and mold.

Putting your perennials “to bed” properly during their “hibernation” season will let you sleep easier too. Then you can relax, read your garden catalogs and anticipate our next real spring!

Posted by Jeffco Master Gardener Dave

Frost Tolerant Perennials

For some of us “Tree Hugging, Dirt Loving” gardeners here on the Front Range, the floral growing season is all too short. If it were up to us, we would like at least another month! Maybe we don’t want to fly south with the birds, or live in Florida, but we would like to eke out a few more days or weeks at the end of the season when some flowers are still blooming. Please?

There are a few annuals and perennials that do have tolerance for light frosts – other than the tough, ubiquitous Pansy we see in all the nurseries in fall and spring. Here are a few more to consider (nothing exotic): Bells of Ireland, Black-eyed Susan, Calendula, Callibrachoa, Coreopsis, Cornflower, Chrysanthemum, Dianthus, Ornamental Cabbage, Primrose, Roses, Rudbeckia, Snapdragon, Stock, Sweet Pea, and Violet. These will generally give us 2-3 weeks after the fall average (light) frost dates. If we have been diligent at deadheading during the summer, even the perennials in this group may still be blooming. These can be good little troopers in the fall, unlike Begonias, Impatience, and Portulaca, etc. that turn to mush or straw at the very mention of the word frost!

When planting, we also need to keep our little microclimates in mind – hillsides where cold air flows off, protected areas next to the house, or near heat-trapping brick or stone walls – the little “Zone 6” areas that are the exception to our Front Range Denver normal Zone 5 climate. Take advantage of any warmer areas you might have, and remember to harden off greenhouse-grown plants by exposing them gradually to our bright sunlight, wind and variable temperatures in early spring before planting them in your garden.

Posted by Jeffco Master Gardener Dave.

Attack of the Box Elder Bugs by Carol King

It’s the time of year when certain creatures are looking for a winter home. And your house, dear gardener is probably a nice snug choice for many of them. Everything from field mice to spiders, crickets, and lady bugs are hunting for a spot to over winter.
If you are like me, you can share your home with a few spiders; a cricket might be welcomed if they wouldn’t sing, but no to mice, and definitely no to box elder bugs. The box elder bug is arguably the biggest insect nuisance we get complaints about. They will cover the outside of homes, patios, concrete walls, sheds, on the south and west sides where the sun shines all through fall and winter. If you have a box elder bug problem, you have thousands of them. Their goal is to get inside your house and spend the winter. They come in cracks, through vents, crevices, gaps in windows and doors. Once inside, they crawl and fly about your home; accumulating around light fixtures and making an extreme nuisance of themselves. While they don’t bite or damage anything, they can spot your curtains and walls, and can leave a stain and stink if you smash ‘em!
Once spring comes, these critters leave your house and find the nearest female box elder tree and lay eggs in the cracks in the bark; and it starts all over again. The young insect loves to eat the leaves of the box elder tree.
If you have a box elder bug problem, you have a female box elder tree nearby. To completely get rid of the problem, tree removal may be an option, depending on the extent of the invasions.
Control is not simple but here are a few tips:
• Insect proof your home by caulking, screening, sealing cracks, etc.
• Check all screens and storm doors and see that they fit snuggly.
• Clean up yard clutter as the bugs will use stored firewood, stacks of lumber, as shelter
• Pour boiling water on small masses of bugs. Do not scald yourself!
• Spray the bugs with a mild liquid soap solution; be careful as may cause vegetation damage.
• Suck them up with a vacuum cleaner, throw bag away as they will stink.
• Spray with household insecticide.
The bad news is, all these measures will only provide temporary relief. They will continue to try to come in on warm days in the fall and winter and could hang around until May.

Here's more:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05522.html

Photo courtesy of Bruce Marlin www.cirrusimage.com

Poinsettia Hideout by Carol King

If you are one of "those" gardeners who could not bear to throw away your poinsettia or Christmas cactus last year; and you are entertaining the notion of these plants flowering in time for the holiday season, you need to take certain steps now. My assumption is that you took proper care of the plant during the spring and summer and it is looking pretty fine right now.
To force the poinsettia into bloom*, give it 14 hours of complete, uninterrupted darkness every night for six weeks, beginning in early October. Your poinsettia must be kept completely, completely dark from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. Put a bag or a box over it and put it in a closet that you will not open. Start this treatment right now and plan on continuing until about December 15. Once the color starts to show, continue darkness until the bracts are almost fully opened. Temperatures should be no less than 55°F at night, but not more than 70°F. During the day give the poinsettia as much sunlight as possible. Of course, you will continue to water regularly and very lightly fertilize the plant. Don’t forget to bring the plant back into the light every morning.
Do the exact same thing with Christmas cactus except they need to be cool at night; 50 degrees is ideal; perhaps a dark garage and again no light at all.

Good luck, dear gardener, I hope you have blooms galore. As for me, I am not one of "those" gardeners. I love the feeling of purging that comes from throwing the dusty old plants away. I am always ready for the holidays to end and having these plants sitting around depresses me. I will purchase a new lush plant at the garden center in December, enjoy it through the holidays and take great pleasure in heaving it into the compost heap on January 1!
*The red, yellow, or pink on the poinsettia plant is not really a bloom as such. It is a bract or leaf that changes color with the introduction of darkness. The flower is the little bitty yellow in the center of the bract.

Here's all you'll need to know:
Poinsettias Fact Sheet
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/Garden/07412.html

September Sunrise at Belmar Park by Carol King

Kendrick Lake Gardens by Carol King

Jefferson County Colorado Master Gardeners were treated to a visit at the Gardens at Kendrick Lake Park this week. We were given a VIP tour by Greg Foreman, Urban Parks Specialist for the City of Lakewood and two of his top aides. Located on Jewell just west of Garrison, Kendrick Lake Park is a veritable botanic garden for drought-tolerant plants. We saw more than 350 flowers, shrubs, ground covers, trees, and roses. In 2001, Greg and his staff set out to create the new western garden, using flora that makes sense in Colorado. Greg is a man on a mission: showcasing just what wonderful gardens we can create with plants appropriate to six habitat areas that encompass Colorado: plains, foothills, upper Sonoran, montane, and alpine. The one acre garden features six beds of beautiful native and non-native plants that will grow in these life zones. Many plants are from other dry areas on the planet like Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan. There are also flowers native to Texas, California, Utah and others. The Rocky Mountain region has become known for horticultural innovation of drought-tolerant species thanks in large part to people like Greg.
These gardens prove that if we choose the right plants, properly prepare the soil (this garden uses fine gravel called slurry, mixed half and half with garden topsoil) and water correctly, we can have lovely gardens that are much more appropriate to the western landscape. Mulching for moisture control is a large part of the process. This magnificent garden demonstrates several types of mulch: rock, bark, and my favorite, buffalo grass. These plantings need very little water. They water less than once a week during the hottest months and none in the fall and winter. Visits to this garden will, dear gardener, encourage even the most resistant of you to try some new kinds of plantings and perhaps join the anti-lawn, native, or xeriscape plant movements.
Incidentally, the Urban Parks Division maintains all the parks within Lakewood. It also cares for plantings in the 1,550 acres of parks, on 242 miles of street medians, all the public buildings and right of ways in the City. And all with only 34 staff members (plus some seasonal help)! Once you have visited the Kendrick Lake gardens, I am sure you will see Greg Foreman’s innovative, thoughtful hand in many public garden areas throughout Lakewood. We are fortunate to have this talented man with his dedicated staff working to make our City most beautiful. (and water wise!).

*“The word "Xeriscape," was coined by the Denver Water Department in 1981 to help make water conserving landscaping an easily recognized concept. The word is a combination of "landscape" and the Greek word "xeros," which means dry.”* It is in fact a trademarked word owned by them. Xeriscape does not mean “zeroscape”. or no water, it means wise water use. A reduction of 60% of water use is quite common when using xeriscaping principles.

* From the Colorado WaterWise Council website: www.xeriscape.org.

Kendrick Lake Gardens September 2008

XERISCAPE AND NATIVE PLANTING INFORMATION

Here's some information about xeriscape and water wise gardening.

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• Principles of Xeriscaping, City of Lakewood
http://www.ci.lakewood.co.us/comres/page.cfm?ID=327&PrinciplesofXeriscaping/.hrml

• Xeriscape Colorado
http://coloradowaterwise.org//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=88&Itemid=21.html

FACT SHEETS FROM CSU EXTENSION

• Xeriscaping: Creative Landscaping
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/garden/07228.html
• Xeriscaping: Ground Cover Plants
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/Garden/07230.html
• Xeriscaping: Retrofit your Yard
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/garden/07234.html

BULBOMANIA by Carol King

Well, dear gardener, a couple of weeks ago I ordered 400 bulbs due to arrive in early October for planting. “Are you crazy? “ You might ask, and the answer might be “Yes”. I was crazy at the time, driven there by the heat during the dog days of August. You know how it is, it’s too hot to go outside so you lie under the fan and look at the dozens of bulb catalogs that begin to arrive in July. The pictures and the colors are so beautiful. And you begin to day dream winter and then spring arriving and first thing you know, you’ve ordered 400 bulbs (406 to be exact).

I chose mid to late blooming tulips hoping to fool the spring snows. My plan is to dig up several beds that I planted three years ago and replace them. They didn’t look great this year and I have learned that tulips are not necessarily perennials. They don’t come back well the second year. I have known this about tulips but assumed it was operator error. The other thing that has happened to me is that the tulips all become red and yellow after several years when they do return. Part of being hybrids I suppose. I have decided to treat them as annuals and replant each year. We’ll see how long that lasts. Planting several hundred bulbs each fall maybe doesn’t have such a great appeal. The 200 tulips are a variety of collections chosen solely on color and name: “The Rainbow Coalition” red, purple, and orange; “The Tang Dynasty” orange, white and yellow. There are a few varieties, which I didn’t choose, that are better suited for returning for several years: Darwin Hybrids, Fosterianas and many of the wild or species tulips can return. All of them need to be replaced periodically however. (Don’t tell me about your twelve year old tulip bed, please).

If you are wondering why the tulips don’t come back here’s a few reasons:
Blossoms. The longer a tulip blooms the more energy the bulb loses. But why plant them if you don’t want blossoms?
Weather. Long, cool springs allow tulip leaves to stay around and store more energy in the bulb. We can have a heat wave in May and June causing the leaves to die back too quickly.
Moisture. Tulips like to go through a dry dormancy period and we typically have to water our beds and grass and trees and shrubs so they often rot from too much moisture.

Now daffodils are supposed to be the most persistent perennial bulb ever. But I only got one year of daffodil blooms from 50 I planted when I moved into this house. The best my research has come up with is that they had a condition called “bud blast” which can be caused by too much moisture in the fall, too little moisture in the summer, late season freezes, or temperatures that warm up too much and/or too suddenly in the spring ... you know, our typical Colorado weather. I much prefer this analysis: a superstition in Maine states that you will cause a daffodil to not bloom if you point at it with an index finger. I am sure that I may have even shaken my finger at them when they didn’t bloom!
The 100 daffodils that I ordered include at least 20 different varieties and are promised to cover the full spectrum of bloom time. I, for my part, promise not to chastise them nor point at them.

One hundred purple and yellow crocuses complete the bulb package. I’m going to stick them everywhere!

Are Your Blossom Ends Rotting? by Carol King

It seems that all the tomato conversation lately has been about blossom end rot. I worked the Master Gardener booth at the JeffCo 4-H Fair and the questions there were about it in tomatoes. The Plant Clinic reports that numerous examples have come in concerning it in tomatoes, squash, eggplant, and peppers. The gardening hotline at the Extension Office is buzzing with rot questions. There’s obviously a lot of rot going around.
So what is this nasty sounding ailment? It starts at the end where the blossom was and begins turning tan, then a dry sunken decay sets in. The lesion enlarges, turns to dark brown to black and becomes leathery. Thus the blossom end begins to rot.
It shows up especially in the first fruit of the season and after the fruit is well on its way to development. In severe cases, it may completely cover the lower half of the fruit. Both green and red fruit develop it. It’s not a pest, parasite or disease process but is a physiological problem caused by a low level of calcium in the fruit itself. In other words, dear gardener, IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!
Why? Several factors may have been at work.
1. You rushed the season. Transplants should be set out only when soil temperature is above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If you put your plants in, in early May and didn’t warm the soil that helped to create conditions for poor root development predisposing plants to blossom end rot.
2. You damaged the roots. If roots are damaged during transplanting or by hoeing later in the season that will increase the chance for blossom end rot. Don’t till within 1 foot of the plant, and when you do cultivate make sure not to go deeper than approximately one inch into the soil.
3. You inconsistently watered: watered too much, watered too little, did not water deeply. Plant roots take up calcium and other needed nutrients only when dissolved in water, so irregular watering is often the culprit with blossom-end rot.
4. You didn’t mulch. If the soil is allowed to become too dry, calcium uptake is interrupted. Keeping the soil mulched is a good remedy to prevent blossom end rot
5. You used the wrong fertilizer. Fertilizing with ammonium nitrate can create conditions ideal for blossom end rot. This type of fertilizer (and that includes large amounts of manure) can compete with calcium for uptake by the plant. It also causes excess soil salts around the plants.
All right, so you know now that you messed up. What can you do this season to salvage some vegetables? Improve the soil quality around your plants by maintaining adequate, consistent soil moisture through mulching and watering properly. Avoid high nitrogen fertilizer using instead, a slow- release organic fertilizer high in phosphorus. A mixed fertilizer with a ratio of one part nitrogen: three parts phosphate: one part potassium is ideal. Many fertilizers marketed for vegetables come with this ratio. Cut the spots off the affected veggies and eat what you can salvage. No you can’t catch blossom end rot from your produce.
And so, enjoy what you can this season. Next season, I know you will do the right thing and avoid all this rot!

Dental Hygiene and Vegetable Advice by Carol King

My dental hygienist is having trouble with her tomatoes and squash. She, of course, asked me all about it while cleaning my teeth. The squashes bloom but there is no fruit; the tomatoes are growing like crazy but have very little fruit or blossoms. What is she to do? My answers went something like this: “ze toahos hv too uh nitgen, n de sqs r mil blmx.” Then I asked her: “ut id u eed em?” It is difficult to dispense wise advice with a mouth full of dental tools.

The sum and substance of our conversation might be helpful to others (without the dental tools, of course). Her squash problem was not a real problem at all: squash have male and female flowers. The first flowers on squash (and on cucumbers, melons and pumpkins) are male. The female flowers come later and can be identified by the miniature fruit on the flower end. The female flowers need to be pollinated and with lots of pollinators like bees and wasps, she should have plenty of squash. She had male flowers; the gals would come later.
The tomato problem was probably due to too much nitrogen in the soil. Her garden was a new raised bed in which she and her husband dumped tons of store bought top soil, manure, and pre-fertilized garden soil. It sounded like they really overdid the manure which is extremely high in nitrogen. Excess nitrogen fertilizer can result in plants with extremely vigorous vine growth but little fruit production. She should get her soil tested next year and certainly not add any more manure.
These two publications from CSU Extension might be helpful.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07609.html
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02949.html
As far as dispensing advice with a pick, a probe, and a mirror in your mouth; ‘orget ut”.

Embarrassing Weed Story by Carol King

Every gardener probably has an embarrassing weed story. An exotic plant pops up and is nurtured and later turns out to be a musk thistle. Or the new house has some gorgeous plant that resembles a sedum and is really myrtle spurge (on list A of the Noxious Weed Act of Colorado). The “morning glory” growing up the rake you left in the garden is not a piece of yard art but instead a neglected tool covered with bind weed!
My most embarrassing weed story to date happened last summer. I always let the sunflowers that pop up from feeding the birds grow, no matter where they are. It adds a sense of randomness to the garden that I like. Several came up in the front garden and started to grow, and grow, and grow. I knew they were going to be giant mammoth sunflowers; the kind that wins prizes and ends up in pictures of largest grown produce; next to the 1,000 pound pumpkin. I envisioned receiving the purple grand champion ribbon and could read the headlines: “Area Woman Grows World’s Largest Sunflower”.
All summer, I watered and fed my plants and was encouraged by the large leaves, the glossy green color and the height, my goodness the height. Toward the end of July, they actually grew taller than the eaves of the house and then flower buds appeared and did not look at all like sunflowers. I looked closely and saw that the leaves on my giant plants did not exactly match the leaves on the other sunflowers in the garden. I had the uneasy feeling that these might not be sunflowers at all.
Sure enough, research proved that my prize plants were Ambrosia trifida; and yes it is a member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae). I say this to redeem myself for feeding, watering, and tending giant ragweed all summer. At least I discovered my mistake before it bloomed. Each plant has the ability to produce about a billion grains of pollen. And because it is the greatest allergen of all pollens and the main cause of hay fever in North American, my three lovingly attended plants would have garnered the headline: “Area Woman Causes Sneezing, Runny Nose, and Itchy Eyes in Major Population Area”. And no purple grand champion ribbon either.

Preparing to Eradicate Giant Ragweed

Gotta Find a Home by Carol King

Let me tell ya a story about a hollyhock weevil: The gardener said to the weevil ”I see you’re on the square” Weevil said to the gardener, “yep my whole family’s there…..lookin for a home, gotta find a home.” The weevil said to the gardener”you better sell your machines, cause when I’m through with your hollyhocks you can’t even buy gasoline”. My apologies to Brook Benton but when ya got hollyhock weevils eating up your hollyhocks, ya gotta sing this song!

The hollyhock weevil is a strange looking bug that has a beak or a snout protruding from its head. If it were bigger, it would be one scary dude. I had to look closely at the blossom area (all eaten of course) to see them. In researching my hollyhock problem, I discovered that there are over 400 species of weevils in Colorado alone with 40,000 species worldwide. And I also discovered this bit of trivia: if every species of animal and plant were placed next to each other in a line, every 10th animal would be a weevil. And, yes, they are ALL looking for a home.

I used some organic insect killing soap which took care of some of them and then I thumped some of them off with my finger. The hollyhocks look really ratty but maybe I will still get a few blooms. In the meantime, if anything you have is being eaten up by something, go look, and if it’s got a snout you got weevils. Roses, rhubarb, sunflowers, strawberries, almost everything has its own special weevil.

Here’s some great information about weevils: http://whatsthatbug.com/Weevils.html.