Pests, pests, pests..everywhere

Barely 4 months old, my garden was infested by pests and diseases. I must say, this is a very sad episode for me as an amateur in gardening . Overnight, my garden turned into a nightmare. Mites, white-flies and mealy bugs invaded on each and every plant! The mona lavender and euodia ridleyi didn't survive. They both went bald.

In an attempt to save the rest of the plants, I quickly headed down to the nearest DIY store to get help and comfort in pesticides. I didn't know which brand to buy but bought one anyway. For more than one month now, I have been battling with these pests and I'm actually quite worn-out. I have finished 3 bottles of different brands of pesticides but there is no stopping to these pests. At this point I realized that they are here to stay, no matter what. They kept sucking every drop of goodness from the plants till there's none left. To this I have to say, is there really an effective pesticides after all? The brands that I bought were all renowned brands.

Then, a dear friend, Ms Autumn Belle of www.mynicegarden.com gave me really good advice. She told me not to get so stressed up by pest problem as pests are part of the natural cycle. She recommended pruning away or disposing off the diseased parts/plants. Autumn Belle added "in the long run, this method is less stressful and more cost-savings whilst applying pesticides (chemical or organic) doesn't really reduce our stress. Just remember to do a proper disposal and cleaning up so that other nearby plants are not affected. If plant is too weak to survive, don't wanna waste time, water and fertilizer. Can replace with another new one. However, plants that can survive a pest attack will certainly emerge stronger than before. Dilemma indeed."


So, I did just as advised by Autumn Belle. Prune here prune there and my plants look as good as new, with all the diseased parts out of my sight. And what do you know? I have never felt so relieved before. Then I was asking myself why hadn't I thought of doing this before.

I guess I'll just have to wait for another week or so to see the progress of the remaining plants. Much to my delight, the walking iris was not affected at all by the pests. Thank God for that. The hibiscus which is a hybrid species seem to be fighting it. Despite being infested I can see 3 buds waiting to bloom..if it blooms at all. 'Pentas' seem to be taking it well too.

If you are encountering pests problems right now, just do like what I did. Don't let frustration eats you up. After all, plants and flowers exist in our life to cheer us up and not otherwise. So be wise. As Ms Autumn Belle put it, "plants do die and we can grow new ones. Grow another healthy plant and we shall be delighted with the gorgeous blooms once again."

The houris has this to say..Ms Belle, you are God sent, really. Thank you so much for your invaluable advice. Here's wishing you happiness and may your garden be blessed! :)