Thanks. Insects in the deep south this time of year are one thing, yours are another. I'm already seeing June bugs. Weird. Does this seem to be an infestation? Are there a LOT of them? You might want to locate a source for a caterpillar killer with bacillus thuringiensis (buh CILL us thur in gee EN sus). The web is what concerns me. Sod webworms can take out a lawn in a hurry. The caterpillar killer goes by the name of BT for obvious reasons. It is a bacterium disease of caterpillars. It causes all caterpillars to immediately freeze in position and stop feeding for several days. When they come out of the frozen state, they can move again but they will not eat again. Next thing you will see is crispy, black caterpillars. It actually is very satisfying to watch them stop eating your tomatoes, for example. BT is harmless to other creatures and a little is a lifetime supply. All you really need to know is where to find it if you need it. But if you don't see the webs enlarging, then it is probably not going to be a problem. Beetles are going to be the biggest headache. You say these are moths, so watch for caterpillars.

Not sure which is the main issue - the appearance of the fence or "privacy." Simply in terms of what might survive under all those trees, you could try either eleutherococcus sieboldianus ('Variegatus' is a very pretty shrub and does OK in dry shade) or akebia quinata vine whose exuberance will be muted without access much water. Neither is evergreen. I have three rhododendrons within reach of the roots of my large maple and two dogwoods and they're doing OK. They look better now that my neighor cut HIS big maple down and they get more light. Agree with digging about the yews - they'll grow in the basement. They can also get very large, so don't plant them right up against the fence.

Im trying to figure this out also they have a hard shell some are glossy with a gold stripe on there back they started invading my apartment i think they come from the desert landscape at my apartment im in Henderson and have ask other people nobody seems to know are even heard of them they love crawlingon the stucco then squeeze there way thru my window

Hi Prairie_north: Very pretty bloom on your mini-rose. Thank you for the l info. that cracked corn changed from pink (acidic) to purple (neutral) fast. I'm happy with cracked corn in the planting hole (did that last year), so is Momscottagegarden (clay soil). I like what you wrote: "The bed around it was originally amended with peat moss, and has cedar shavings on top. Today I pushed the shavings away, dug up the soil around it, put down some sheep manure, and red lava rock." Peat moss mixed with clay becomes hardened a year later. Cedar shavings is acidic (pH 4) that would leak acid down when it rains (pH of rain is 5.6). Since mini-rose is own-root, the roots are nearer the surface, and is sensitive to acid leaching down. Own-roots do best with organic fertilizer, since it's nearer the surface ... some are wimpy like alfalfa sprouts, versus big-woody-bush-trunk Dr. Huey. Red lava rock is a strong buffer at pH 8. I mulched roses with that during our wet months .. kept roses clean. Blooming takes up lots of potassium & calcium to make those firm petals. After blooming, potassium and calcium are both depleted, plus rain leaches out potassium & calcium & trace elements. Red-lava rock in the planting hole, plus on top provide a continuous supply of potassium to prevent diseases, plus more blooms. Calcium is a strong buffer: I use that in many ways: as granular gypsum (calcium sulfate) to break up clay. If it rains a lot, I put gypsum on top of red-lava-rock. But for Dr. Huey-rootstock, I put dolomitic lime on top, since Dr. Huey likes it alkaline. Best ratio in hydroponics setting is equal nitrogen to potassium, 1/2 phosphorus, and 1/2 calcium. I burnt a few own-roots with either salty manure in hot weather, or high-phosphorus fertilizer like bone meal. My best result in hot weather is alfalfa hay for nitrogen. Timothy hay is much softer, easier to mulch .. that's what I plan to test next. I got amazing result mulching with alfalfa hay in hot weather, best nitrogen-source ever, which beat anything I tested: blood meal, compost, Milorganite, alfalfa pellets, alfalfa meal, corn meal. The problem with alfalfa in smaller particles: they gunk up on top, either souring, or hardening clay further. Alfalfa hay is fluffy, which cools and shade the roots in hot sun, plus it's a strong buffer: neutralize both acidic rain, and alkaline tap water.