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September Surprises

It is always a thrill to stumble across a plant that I may have forgotten about or one that does something unexpected. That has happened several times over the past weeks.  First, the vine pictured above is the Eastern Prince Schisandra vine ( Schinensis chinensis ), also known as "Magnolia Vine".  I purchased it in May of 2023 from One Green World in Portland. I don't know what attracted me to it, other than the fact that I'd never heard of it before and the description sounded nice.  I didn't forget about this plant; in fact, it has grown quite vigorously up an archway at the entrance to our woodland path. It shares space alongside the rose 'Lamarque'.  I did forget that it produces berries, so I was surprised when I looked up and saw them dangling over the top of the arbor.  The berries are used in Chinese medicine. They are called the "Five Flavor Berry" and said to have five flavors in one - sweet, salty, bitter, tangy and sour.  Chinese le...
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Back to the bagworms

I was looking at my blog statistics and I noticed that a lot of visitors got here by typing "bagworms" in their search query. Now is the time that they raise their ugly heads and damage becomes very noticeable. I wrote a post last year about my experiences with them. Fortunately, I have not seen any on my evergreens this year.  However, there is a Leland Cypress hedge across the street from us and I could clearly see the telltale brown dying branches and the disgusting bagworms hanging from them. This is a rental property and last year they had to cut down a row of Leland Cypress on the opposite side of the property. You can spray with Malathion now although it is more effective is done earlier in the spring when eggs are being laid. Hand picking is also effective but sometimes this might not be practicable if the plants are too large. Whatever method you choose, you must take action or else the plants will soon be toast. For more information, refer to my previous post.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. greggoJuly 12, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    I guess it good to be famous for something. lol

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  2. DarlaJuly 13, 2011 at 3:13 AM

    I just posted in my post before last my very first bagworm cocoon, hadn't a clue what they were....it was hanging on one of my climbing roses.

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  3. Deborah Younglao, Silk PainterJuly 13, 2011 at 9:02 PM

    We seem to get them every other year, on one particular oak tree. Just noticed the first one yesterday, so I guess we're in for them this year. What gets me is that the critters themselves are so tiny! Why do they need to build such a big house?

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  4. Rob (ourfrenchgarden)July 16, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    These sound like a real pain in the arse.

    Good news that you don't seem to have any this year. Hope it stays that way.

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