The Rural Voice, 2001-12, Page 42Gardening
Of Christmas gifts and lady bugs
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
I believe Christmas comes at the
wrong time of year for gardeners.
We know it is a Christian holiday to
celebrate the year of our Savior's
birth, but it is the commercial side of
it all that I think we should move.
We spend hours and dollars on
gifts to bring cheer to our loved ones
faces. For the gardener on your list
you check out the latest books, tools
and bulb kits. Yet come spring time
you know what a gardener really
needs is that particular tree or
perennial that is just a dollar or two
above the budget, out of range and yet
dearly craved for.
The whole rage around gardening
has brought wonderful new plants
into the marketplace: chocolate and
pewter veil coral bells, neon -coloured
sedums, and if you thought day lilies
were all orange then you have to get
out to the garden centres. You know
where this is leading — gift
certificates.
My children have told me gift
certificates are the easy way out for
weary and unimaginative shoppers. I,
on the other hand, feel gift certificates
are the ultimate gift. You know there
is always something that a gardener
will see come springtime and there
will be little cash flow after spending
money on seeds, soil amendments and
new garden tools. Seeds are great
garden gifts but let's face it, not
everyone is great at starting seeds. I
have been known to get seedlings just
so far and then forget to water them
one day and down they go. Or have
seedlings get too leggy and lose them
to the outdoor elements.
Garden centres are more than
happy to offer gift certificates. As an
added bonus, you could offer to drive
your gift recipient to the garden centre
that they have been fantasizing about.
***
On another note we have had quite
a response about the invasion of lady
bugs. For years gardeners have been
trying to tell everyone how wonderful
lady bugs are for eating soft fleshy,
sucking insects in our gardens. Once
in our homes they will not eat fabric
or wooden furniture but may take a
bite out of you.
One poor lady wrote to me of her
son and daughter-in-law being
HELP FOR ONTARIO FARMERS IN CRISIS
Queen's Bush Rural Ministries
ft
Provides -- a free confidential service
to listen and offer a network
of helpful contacts.
�,1
Call Collect 1-519-369-6774
PATTI ROBERTSON'S
Unique Residential and
Commercial Interiors
135 Victoria St., WINGHAM
357-2872
• Custom-made Window
Fashions, Bedspreads
& Accessories
• Fine Domestic &
Imported Fabrics
• Select Wallcoverings
• Furnishings, Lighting
& Artwork to suit
any interior...
38 THE RURAL VOICE
invaded by lady beetles. The insects
were flying into their meals, their hair
and to make matters worse the family
had to get up in the middle of the
night to vacuum the lady beetles from
their beds. The beetles were biting and
when family members squashed them,
they left a terrible odour and a
dreadful stain to their fingers and
clothing. Due to its normally
beneficial properties, there are very
few books that recommend ways to
destroy lady beetles. This family
consulted with their local OMAFRA
office and were referred to Guelph
University.
These bugs may be the Mexican
bean beetle which is one of the few
members of this family that is
discouraged. They are a more
yellowish brown in colour with 16
black spots on the wing covers. They
feed on the leaves of lima beans, snap
beans and soybeans.
To get rid of them you have to start
outside with a cleanup of leaf litter
around the home. Older farmhouses
have innumerable nooks and crannies
where lady beetles can enter. This
family will have to seal up as many of
these crannies as possible and vacuum
up the lady beetles as they cluster in
preparation for hibernation in their
home.
Lady beetles generally die from
lack of water' in our homes and
Mexican beetles are no different. The
Organic Gardener's Handbook of
Natural Insect and Disease Control
suggests pyrethrum, sabadilla,
rotenone or neem as possible sprays
for Mexican beetles. While all are
derived from plant materials and for
years were promoted as safe, they are
still dangerous poisons. Check
packaging carefully and wear proper
gear when using. You need to have a
very severe problem in order to be
spraying within your home. The best
solution is to seal and vacuum.
On that happy note — have a great
Christmas and check the mail for
those wonderful seed catalogues. A
sure sign that spring is around the
corner.0
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger and her
husband raise two children at their
home near Auburn. She is a skilled
cook and gardener.