April showers WILL bring us some May flowers!
My Company’s Philosophy is Personalized Pest Management
In spite of our best efforts to choose the right plant, to plant it properly, to water it right and to take the best care of it, insects, weeds, diseases and the occasional mole, rabbit or deer will cause problems. It’s just an unavoidable part of enjoying our yards and outdoor spaces that pests will attack something at some point. The plants we place in our landscapes and gardens are viewed as a buffet to a horde of pests just waiting for a free meal!
We all measure our garden success differently. We differ in terms of what we want. That is, how much time, effort, and expense are we willing to invest to manage a pest? Are you willing to let the pest take over your plant and try something different next year? Do you want to keep the plant looking top notch and have zero tolerance for pests? The majority of us are somewhere in between. It’s important to remember that pests compete with us for our plants. A pest may be a caterpillar on a tomato plant, a disease organism (such as a fungus) on a maple tree, a patch of grass in a flowerbed, a tall tree under the utility line, or a weed in the driveway. My grandmother used to say that a weed was any plant you didn’t want.
When you come to me for advice on how to handle any yard or garden pest, my job is to find out what’s gone wrong and why. Once we know that I can help find the best, safest possible solution to meet what you want for your yard and garden. Gardening choices are personal and varied. I can help you find ways to reduce the effects of landscape and garden pests and I can show you a product to kill them, that choice is yours to make. For example, do you want blemish-free apples or are you willing to accept some spots? If you want them spotless you will need to prune overcrowded limbs to improve airflow, spray with organic horticultural oils and possibly use preventative fungicides. You may even need to use more than one of these pest control method to be successful – but I’d always recommend the less impactful step first.
Why I may recommend you use chemical pesticides? It gets harder and harder to write these garden articles every year. It’s not that I’ve run out of material after all these years, just ask anyone who knows me – I’ve still got lots to say! it’s just that I have to be very, very careful about what I recommend. We live in a world quick to judge.
So yes, I’m going to tell you when and when not to use pesticides and fungicides in your garden.
What about the plants we grow and sell? We’ve all heard about the plight of the pollinators and realize that pesticides are part of the problem. The most impactful of these pesticides is Neonicotinoides. Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides that are chemically related to nicotine. They are systemic, meaning plants absorb them, and insects that consume the plant or elements of the plant such as its leaves or pollen, are susceptible to their effects.
We are dedicated to environmentally responsible gardening practices. As such, we want to minimize the use of any and all chemicals and instead work in harmony with nature to produce results. Neonicotinoids were introduced to be a safer alternative to the previous generation of harsh insect-controlling chemicals. Now, research is driving the horticulture industry to find a better solution. At Lakeview Nurseries, we are committed to being a part of that solution. We have worked with all of our growers and suppliers to better understand if, how and why neonics are used in the production of any of our products. We can happily say that all of our perennials and annuals, herbs and vegetables are neonicotinoid free!
Bugs you want in your gardens.
From time to time every garden has an outbreak of pests. There lots of choices for managing pests, ranging from a “do-nothing” approach to intensive chemical methods and we are here to help you find the one that will work for you!
One new tool in our arsenal is biological control, which is using an organism to control the pest in question. There are two ways to get beneficial insects into your garden, either buy them or attract them. We’ve always been able to help you attract them, but now we can sell you lady beetles and green lacewings! Make today your “adopt a bug” day and stop in and say Hi!
All our best,
Michelle and Team Lakeview
