Sheesh, is that ever a bad case of euonymus scale! I have never used a HOMEMADE recipe for horticultural oil, nor would I ever endorse a recipe. I've seen the results, however. The commercially manufactured products are safe, effective, come equipped with directions. It is almost impossible to come up with your own recipe of oil/soap/water that will not separate and coat your plant with gooky gook. There are many organic options for horticultural oils, including those that are totally vegetable based. The commercial products are formulated to form a solution that will cover your plant with a very fine coating of the soil that won't be harmful to your plant yet still smother the insect. I gotta tell you, my friend...this looks like a very bad infestation of euonymous scale. Many would remove the plants entirely and replace with something else entirely. Others would prune their plants to the ground so that they could start all over again, making sure to begin a spraying routine from the get-go. Whatever you decide to use as your oil, know that you will have to use it judiciously on all of the plants, a few times a year, from now on. If you decide to go with a commercial product, be sure to read and follow the directions. You should never apply an oil based product in the harsh sunlight, or in very high or low temperatures. This species of scale goes hand in hand with your plant, sorry to say. Great pictures!

Nell & nckvilledudes, Thanks for you help. The process of elimination is never a waste of time. I appreciate your sincere help. Pam, That is not OT at all! On these plants, each leaf has one little cream-colored bump, or node, on the backside on the central leaf vein. The stems are dark green and the leaves are a lighter green. I looked again. They are not glossy, but they are waxy. Like I said before, they remind me of lemon tree leaves, except no fragrance. No scent at all that I can detect. We shall see. I'll grow them in pots until I discover what they are. I don't want to open Pandora's Box if they turn out to be something invasive. They sure are pretty though! Thanks to all. ~Annie

Sorry for the necro-post, but I came across this thread as I was Googling for something else. I just wanted to chime in with my observations... I work with a tree guy and these Ligustrums are one of our top three removal trees. Hackberry and red cedar are the others. The main reason for removal is because they get way, way too large for the area in which they are planted. Other major reasons are a desire to 'go native' and the mess that they leave with the berries. The boss can't stand these things, and he's one who will go to great lengths to save an otherwise-healthy tree... even a hackberry. People call hacks 'trash trees' and while they do have some bad habits, are weak, and are not very long-lived trees compared to other species-- they do provide good homes for wild birds, butterflies (hackberry emperors and tawny emperors especially) and other critters. Even for all of the negatives that we commonly associate with hacks, he would rather save a hackberry over a ligustrum.

The fact that you're asking for advice suggests to me that you're not particularly attached to this thing as it is. Usually pondless waterfalls are in the context of having plants/trees/shrubs planted around to make it more like a natural stream or spring. Or its part of an interesting architectural piece that really adds something to the landscape. This one is neither. Its just running water, surrounded by concrete so what comes to mind for me is not natural stream or springs but water going into a sewer grate after a storm. HOWEVER.... if it were rebuilt in such a way that it was a more substantial and interesting architectural piece that might be a good spot for it - more a vertical fountain type thing would collect fewer leaves I think - as it is theres a lot of rocks, standing water, horizontal surface to collect debris. Cant remember what theyre called, but there are those stone walls with water flowing out of spigots into a basin that can be really beautiful and fit well into a courtyard or patio (ie a built environment) Do you get any enjoyment at all from it as it is - or would you, if it was built differently? I guess that's a question only you can answer.