OK, you get up check your flowers and vegetable and wow where did these holes come from? You don’t see any bugs around. Chances are they have been eaten by slugs or earwigs. Slugs and Earwigs are probably the most persistent and most common garden pests. In large numbers, they can wreak havoc to an entire planting bed or garden. Problem is, they are night marauders and you will need to go out in the evening with a flashlight, say around 10:00PM, to find them. Now, how do you get rid of them?

Viburnums are one of my favorite shrubs to plant for year round interest. Although there are hundreds of small trees and shrubs that are available and that will thrive in the New England climate, viburnums are on the “I must have” list. They are one of the most useful and versatile shrubs available today. There is one for every project and a selection of over 200 species, more than 120 species in North America alone.

This month I have decided to address a subject that is not so ‘DEER’ to our hearts. How often do we all venture into our gardens to see and admire the perfect form of a growing shrub? Or the buds ready to pop on one of our favorite flowing plants… The perfection of nature… One day we wake up and find in horror that our lovely flowers and plants have been decapitated. Our hostas are left with long stalks, and ragged leaves. Many azaleas and rhododendrons have been ripped and left with large holes.