After the Poisoning
07-0511-2830
273 of 365 in 365 Days
We returned from Florida to this.
Well-intentioned though he may have been, my neighbor sprayed our yard for creeping charlie and dandelions while we were gone to Key West, Florida. Besides not asking us first before using a broad-leaf herbicide in our yard -- they won't mind some weed control, and their kids aren't here using the yard; perfect timing, he reasoned. Problem was, he neglected to read the instructions properly. Though it states "will not harm plants", that is only true for most (mature) plants when you don't spray *directly* on the plants' leaves, but rather on the ground around and under them, and spray on the plants you WANT to kill. (It can't kill something with a deep root system, unless you spray it on the leaves and stalks.)
Well, he sprayed directly on or across the day lilies, the bee balm (Monarda, a.k.a. bergamot), the coral bells (Heuchera), the bleeding hearts (Dicentra -- unharmed!!), the Phlox, the peonies, two azalea shrubs (one which was still in bloom), our oldest hostas, some ferns, and the raspberry canes. Thankfully, the azaleas do not seem to be affected, except for the sudden wilting of the bloom on the one shrub (the flowers had not started to drop off yet).
You see what has become of my beautiful day lilies. Ironically, the least-damaged day lilies here are the ones in the front, that must be cut back or relocated because of the swing set. These may be the only ones that can still flower. Most of the bulbs probably survived, but now they may only be able to put up some leaves to feed the bulb during the summer. We shall see; I must cut them back to the ground.
He will replace what dies, of course!
After the Poisoning
07-0511-2830
273 of 365 in 365 Days
We returned from Florida to this.
Well-intentioned though he may have been, my neighbor sprayed our yard for creeping charlie and dandelions while we were gone to Key West, Florida. Besides not asking us first before using a broad-leaf herbicide in our yard -- they won't mind some weed control, and their kids aren't here using the yard; perfect timing, he reasoned. Problem was, he neglected to read the instructions properly. Though it states "will not harm plants", that is only true for most (mature) plants when you don't spray *directly* on the plants' leaves, but rather on the ground around and under them, and spray on the plants you WANT to kill. (It can't kill something with a deep root system, unless you spray it on the leaves and stalks.)
Well, he sprayed directly on or across the day lilies, the bee balm (Monarda, a.k.a. bergamot), the coral bells (Heuchera), the bleeding hearts (Dicentra -- unharmed!!), the Phlox, the peonies, two azalea shrubs (one which was still in bloom), our oldest hostas, some ferns, and the raspberry canes. Thankfully, the azaleas do not seem to be affected, except for the sudden wilting of the bloom on the one shrub (the flowers had not started to drop off yet).
You see what has become of my beautiful day lilies. Ironically, the least-damaged day lilies here are the ones in the front, that must be cut back or relocated because of the swing set. These may be the only ones that can still flower. Most of the bulbs probably survived, but now they may only be able to put up some leaves to feed the bulb during the summer. We shall see; I must cut them back to the ground.
He will replace what dies, of course!