Spectacular.
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Thank you, lovely photos
Ian
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This is one of my favourite photos, I took when I could drive and before my knees became arthritic
It is on my wall, framed - taken on Fuji Velvia (the real stuff, not the simulation)
The churchyard at Frilsham
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Very nice indeed!
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Thank you, the secret is very simple, you have to be at the same level as the plant or creature that you are photographing. To take this picture, I had to lie down on my stomach.
I am planning some tulip photos, but the flowers are in a raised bed, so I do not have to bend down
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I had about 25 Narcissus Nobilis for 20 years or so and they were absolutely stunning. Then 4 years ago I dug them up and put them in a large pot and put them in full sun. That year they were attacked by narcissus fly, which left me with about 5. I left the pot out during the following winter and the frost killed the remaining 5. Unbelievable. I never saw daffodils as good as my original 25 and I’ve spend the past 4 years trying to source them again.
I bought these 5 Nobilis as bulbs last year and this is how they’ve come out. Pretty, but not as good as my original. The search continues.
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A plea for help from the gardening hi-fi community!
Last year I bought a pair of semi ornamental bush things. They were identical. On sat in more of a sheltered corner than the other and I noticed one day that it had been ravaged by an incredible number of caterpillars. A large quantity of leaves were either eaten or fell off and I was uncertain if it was a gonner. I’m still not sure!
I’ll try to upload some photos showing where the two plants sit and the relative state of health of the two. I would be most appreciative of any helpful comments on what steps might help to bring it back to a better state of health for the coming spring and beyond.
Peter
Here they are - the last photo is the relatively unscathed example from the right side of the doors.
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Thanks AndyP - I’ll give it a go!
Peter
Thats early
Worth a try, but could be terminal! Will probably never look good even if they somehow survive.
The attack happened last year and to be honest I thought the plant would not survive the winter. Still not convinced but thought I’d ask for a steer on this forum. Jury remains out!
Peter
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It looks like you have some new growth on the infected box. I would get a gloved hand and gently ruffle up the foliage to get rid of the dead leaves - it will look a bit better.
I have had two attacks on a large topiary and it has made a successful recovery. Keeping an eye out for the caterpillars and spraying with Xentari will give you a sporting chance.
But Monty Don and many others have had to abandon box.
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Good luck. I volunteer at an English Heritage property. We’ve been battling the twin scourges of box blight and box tree moth caterpillars for a few years now. It’s a thankless task so we’ve made the decision to keep the “heritage” box but to rip out all those planted in the last thirty years or so and replace them with Euonymous japonicus.
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It’s had an attack from the box caterpillar. Just spray with a product called TOPBUXUS XenTari. This will kill them very fast and the box will easily recover. It’s not worth spraying below 10c as the bacteria aren’t very active. The caterpillars start getting active at 15c. If you check the leaves closely, you’ll probably see leaves curled with webbing. This is where the caterpillar hibernates. Make sure you spray throughly and reapply a good 2-3 times with 1-2 week intervals.
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I was out in the yard this afternoon, commencing a spring clean-up. With the mild and wet weather we’ve had in these parts plants are several weeks ahead of schedule. Acers starting to leaf, ferns unfurling and tulips appearing. Plenty of toads too. Green algae proliferating.
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Same here (Notts), daffodils everywhere but too much rain for them to last long. This week looks to be relatively dry so maybe blooms will endure.
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We have a few box in a mixed hedge, and fortunately no sign of disease so far, but others haven’t been so lucky. Once you’ve had an attack, there’s every chance that you’ll have another, and the weakened plant will just get weaker. Container grown plants like yours are more susceptible.
Try treating them if you want, but unless they make a full recovery, my advice would be to cut your losses and grow something else. The sooner you do that, the sooner the replacement plants will get established and look good.
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It’s not a disease. Like I said, it’s an attack by caterpillars.
Very simple, no complications, no long thread. Treat the caterpillars and move on.
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