Insect infestation on a shrub in my rain garden

5 months ago

Our landscape maintenance contractor is here today. I was going to have her transplant a shrub from one part of our rain garden to another part but she noticed the plant has a severe infestation of some organism which is causing the plant to create things that look like cocoons at the ends of all the branches and farther down on most branches. She is recommending that she dig up this plant and dispose of it (in the dump, not even at the recycling center) as she doesn't want these organisms to infect the compost created at the recycling center. I have attached some photos here and have uploaded some others at this link:

https://donander.smugmug.com/Public/Shrub-Infestation

She says she thinks these are "gull worms" but I cannot find that on the Internet. If anyone knows the name of this organism I would be interested to hear about it. I also don't know what the name of the shrub is so would appreciate that information. It was already in our rain garden when we moved into this house in March of 2016. I am located in Arlington WA, zip code 98223. Thanks, Don

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Comments (6)

Fori
5 months ago
I hope you can get some advice from someone who has seen this before! I haven't. Looks weird. A few things though....

1. if you don't know what any plant is, don't transplant it (unless you need that spot for something else).

2. Perhaps the contractor said "gall worms". That wouldn't be the normal term but I suppose the lumps could be galls. They don't look like any galls I've ever seen but plants develop all sorts of odd galls (could be nematodes, fungi, wasps, etc.).
Don Anderson thanked Fori
Don Anderson
Original Author
5 months ago
1. I'm definitely not transplanting it! My landscape maintenance contractor dug it up and put it in her pickup to take to the dump/refuse center/trash heap/whatever.

2. I told her that and she said "no I said gull worms". Oh well. She said many organisms use that same method of hibernation.

Thanks,

Don
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The plant is Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken', dwarf cherry or English laurel. Slugs seldom bother any broadleafed evergreens - the leaf tissue is too tough. This type of damage is very common to lots of broadleafed EG's in my area and can be attributed to root weevils. The larvae of root weevils can attach susceptible plant roots but it is the damage of the adult weevils that creates the notching of the foliage. Adult weevils are night feeders so that's why you don't see them. Shot hole disease - exteremly common to 'Otto Luyken' - could also be playing a role but the damage pattern from that is usually a bit different - instead of the edge notching mostly seen in the above photos, distinct holes will develop in the interior of the foliage but if the problem is very pronounced, these lesions can coalesce and could look like the above. I'd approach treatment on both fronts :-) Here is a link that might be useful: root weevils
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Hi Eric, Normally, most spider mites are so small you cannot see them move. The two-spotted mites I have on my cucumber plants and tomato plants pretty much every year are so small that they are about the size of the dot over the letter "i". One way to confirm if you have spider mites is to hold a white sheet of paper or cardboard underneath the foliage and thump the leaves. A good thumping will knock the spider mites to the white sheet of paper or cardboard, and they then will very slowly move around looking for a safe place. It will look like a lot of little dots, not large enough to really even tell it is a pest. Some mites are so small that they are invisible to the naked eye, and you need a magnifying glass to identify them. Because you mentioned that they are white, I instantly thought of whiteflies. They would like like teeny tiny white moths. In fact, they look more like moths than like flies. Mealybugs also are white. I don't think I've ever seen springtails. It is interesting that whatever you have is infesting the verbena and not the lantana because they are subject to several of the same pests. About the only pests I actually see on the plants you listed are spider mites and aphids. I'm going to link a fact sheet from TAMU that discusses pests of verbena and lantana. Maybe something on that fact sheet will sound familiar to you. Some years verbena does great and other years it just isn't happy. I have less trouble with the tall verbena (verbena bonariensis) than with the mounding types. You also could go to bugguide.net and see if you can find anything there that resembles the pests you're seeing. They have great photos and the site is pretty easy to navigate. If you are in the part of OK that has had a lot of rain in recent weeks, your plants might actually have a fungal or bacterial disease and the pests you are seeing might not be the real problem. Rudbeckia only does well for me in well-amended clay soil that drains really well and even then the wet years can kill it, and doesn't do well at all in the unamended clay. I am wondering if your soil has just been too wet this year. Keep searching for an answer and don't give up. Be careful spraying anything on foliage at temperatures over 90 degrees. Once the temperatures are really hot, leaf burn can occur when you spray plants with products. It is real hit-and-miss type stuff where one type of plant might not be bothered at all, and another type will burn, discolor and wilt. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Pests of Verbena and Lantana
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You don't have to wait for a frost before harvesting. Doesn't really make any difference to the tubers although those that eat them raw claim they are sweeter after a light frost. But they should be fully mature and usable now. The alternative - and one that probably makes the most sense - is just to cut back the plants now, get rid of the diseased foliage and leave the tubers in the ground until you need them. Apparently they do not store well out of the ground but can last pretty much all winter in the soil. And in z7, there is little concern about soil freezing, so they will remain accessible. In full disclosure, while I have grown Jerusalem artichokes, it was completely unintentional and with no intent or desire to harvest the tubers. The plant was just sold as a perennial sunflower, which it is. It wasn't until after growing them a season and recognizing how aggressively they spread and how hard they were to control that I realized my mistake :-)) Took me about five years to finally get rid of them......not a plant for an ornamental flower garden!!
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The Logician LLC
5 months ago
There are images online of "twig galls" that are somewhat similar to the above picture. In your case gall growth may have stopped due to the recent very cold week in western WA.

"Gull worms" is not in common use. In fact, this Houzz page is the only closely related result in a google search.

Galls can be formed by both beneficial and by pest insects; just as well that your bush was removed.
Don Anderson thanked The Logician LLC
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
5 months ago
I‘d be annoyed if someone chucked out one of my plants without my say so. Whatever the problem is, the shrub could have been cut back hard thus eliminating all the affected branches. And it is highly unlikely a pest would survive in a large composting operation. I’d honestly be looking for a new gardener since this one doesn’t seem to know what she’s doing. You say you didn't know the name of the shrub. Does that mean she couldn't identify it for you? That’s poor if she purports to be a professional. At least get second opinions on her advice In future.
Don Anderson
Original Author
5 months ago
She did not "chuck" the plant without my approval! We discussed it. She said she could trim it back but the infestation was in multiple spots on each branch, not just on the tip. I made the decision to remove it. Maybe you have professional gardeners walking the streets looking for work where you live but it is not so easy to find a professional HARD WORKING landscape contractor where I live. This woman has done dozens of tasks for us and they have all been top notch, including the beautiful Evergreen Garden she built for us, to my wife's specifications and with dozens of consulting meetings and trips to nurseries with my wife. If you are going to express your OPINION you might want to tone it down a bit.

Don
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
5 months ago
Sorry you took exception to my post, Don. Perhaps it’s a question of different registers in different cultures because I see nothing to be upset about in my words and certainly nothing to warrant capital letters. I didn't expect such sensitivity to a statement of opinion.

You didn’t actually say you’d given permission to her to chuck the shrub. I don’t have a gardener and never have had, but if I did I would expect them to be able to id my shrubs and to know the effects of composting on pests. It’s probably best I don’t comment on the pictured garden. Anyway, I apologise.

Insect infestation on a shrub in my rain garden

Comments (6)

Fori

Don Anderson
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Insect infestation on a shrub in my rain garden

Comments (6)

Fori

Don AndersonOriginal Author

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The Logician LLC

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

Don AndersonOriginal Author

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Don Anderson
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Don Anderson
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