Daisy Days

Every local gardener I know is complaining about Japanese Beetles. They are very bad this year. I see them every time I go to Rutgers Gardens. In my own yard, I don’t even have to see them. The damage they inflict is all too apparent. My Shasta Daisies and Echinacea seem to be their favorite. They chew on the colorful petals leaving just the middles. Last year was a bad year so I have very few pictures of the Shasta Daisies and Echinacea.

For some reason, though, this year the Japanese Beetles are boycotting my yard. My flowers have minimal damage.

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'
I grew these from seed direct sown in the garden last year. They are blooming for the first time this year. The squirrels chewed off the first bud, but this second one miraculously escaped. In the background, there are more buds waiting to open.

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'
More Echinacea grown from seed direct sown in the garden. These have been around for a few years. I’ve learned to allow them to go to seed instead of tidying up every fall. Goldfinches just love the seeds.

Echinacea purpurea
These are from a single passalong plant that I received as a house-warming gift over a decade ago. The bunch should be larger. It took me years to figure out they reproduce by seed rather than multiplying. A big plus to allowing them to go to seed are the goldfinches they attract.

Leucanthemum x superbumShasta Daisy
I have two clumps of Shasta Daisies. This one, which I ordered as a plant from a catalog and another clump in the Purple Garden that I grew from seed. These reproduce by multiplying. In this border that’s an advantage. Every year, I widen it and the daisies fill in the new space.

I hope I haven’t jinxed my garden now by pointing out the lack of Japanese Beetles!