That spider. Absolutely not. Burn the entire property down 😅🫠 Shame about the proteas, you could feel your frustration. Ugh. Hate when stuff like that happens!! Always enjoy the banter between you and Moroni, and the views of your beautiful garden in the early hours. Best time of the day!😊

@phaedragardeness

2 ай бұрын

I kinda felt like burning it down.. but I spent months building it 😂😂.

Ants are always attracted to my proteas. I have to spray the roadsidestall to keep them off my flowers. I tend to put the flower heads in a bucket of water to make sure there are no ants in them.

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

I wondered about that. Do they dry in afterwards? Does it get the ants out?

Use a broom to lift the spider off the curtain, have the door already open, then take the spider out to the garden away from your house. I’m not brave, but can use the broom, if it drops, sweep outside 😂

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

I have this silly idea that if I’m touching the broom and the broom is touching the spider.. I am touching the spider 🤦🏼‍♀️

Seriously I'm amazed if you haven't had any bug problems before now! We have lots although the birds eat lots too and visit flowers regularly. My amateur strategy when picking flowers or foliage is to hold them upside down and give a good shake over the ground. Often tiny spiders drop down on their threads. My parents taught me that if there's a bug in fresh produce then it's a sign it was grown without unhealthy chemicals and probably by a small local grower. But i get it most people don't want ants pouring out. I wonder what natural deterrents could be used as a first try. Beautiful flower beds, beautiful bouquets!

@phaedragardeness

2 ай бұрын

The flowers with all the ants were from another farm, I’ve let her know :). I’ve always thought that too! That bugs in food is a healthy sign. Most people just hate spiders and ants though… I don’t think they will see those as anything other than a complaint 🤪

We have plenty of huntsmans here on the mid north coast, they are huge. Your flowers are gorgeous.

I don't use any sprays of any kind - not even organic ones - and we have lots of ants on the property, but not in our flowers. I do something that no one else seems to do and that is to direct a hose spray at all my flowers every day as part of the (hand) watering routine. I don't/won't do drip. I do this to strengthen the flower stems and also to knock off any possible aphid, etc. issue. Not even my herbaceous peonies had an ant problem. This is also a reason I will never, ever use plastic row covers with holes burned or cut into them for the flowers. the plastic just gives a perfect place for bad bugs to hide from their predators, which are mainly birds. Birds love feasting in my garden on bugs and weed seeds and I love that. I've been using this process for decades on several different properties and it really seems to work.

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

So interesting you say this. We overhead water too and our plants get a pretty good rough up with it. We don’t have many bug issues!

The ants reminded me of a few weeks ago. I took a bucket of flowers into a resthome to do flower arranging with the residents. Earwigs galore dropped out of the flowers, and scrambled across the tables. Felt so embarrassed. For two years I hadn't used sprays etc, but now it's at the point of having to or I won't be able to sell the flowers. You are so right about florist flowers being sprayed so not to feel too guilty. However I wish I could do spray free, but doesn't work for me 😢

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

Thankyou for your honesty 🩵. No one wants bugs in their flowers!

It is getting cooler for sure but haven't we been having some lovely juvly mornings. Crisp and sunny. Pleased you feeling better. Gorgeous bouquets as always. I was in a hurry one morning and spider in kitchen so in a panic i grabbed my dust buster, sucked it up and opened up the vac and left it outside. No spider was there when I got home so thinking it moved on lol. And yes its a bit awkward when ants arrive with ones bouquet lol

@phaedragardeness

2 ай бұрын

Hmmmm… maybe I need a dedicated spider vacuum… our neighbour vacuumes them up off her verandah. I noticed they had no cobwebs and I asked how and I got a demo haha.

@jobo8819

2 ай бұрын

@@phaedragardeness lol a dedicated vacuum it is then.

Gorgeous bouquet.I don't know how u cope with the bugs/creepy crawlies and vermin(i would die).our main issues in Ireland are slugs and snails and odd earwig. Great u are better.

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

I’m kinda tired of all the bugs and things 😩😭

Glad you're so much better now. If nothing else, the place you got those flowers, should have a pest warning, so you can check it out. Wonder if soaking the flower in water might chase the ants out, or would that ruin the flower.?

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

I wondered that too but with proteas I think the bugs could hide in air pockets? I’m not sure. I don’t think it would ruin the flower, mould could become an issue? I just don’t have time to soak flowers for bugs after already paying full wholesale price for them.

@itsmewende

3 ай бұрын

@@phaedragardeness Actually, they should be ashamed selling buggy flowers.

I would love to know what kind of spray do flower farmers use. I'm having a huge ant problem too, but I don't sell flowers and don't like giving flowers away either full of ants. I have found them in my dahlias and strawflowers at the moment. Were in my sunflowers when I had some. I wanted to be chemical free, but now I know it is best not to. Please help with any advice on all the different chemicals that are out there. Thanks.

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

I don’t know what chemicals to use I’m sorry!! Buttttt I’m going to do a Q&A soon so I might add in some questions I don’t know answers too and we might get someone else comment who knows!! I’ll add this question to the list :)

Was the spider and white tail or a common garden spider . I have set up a area for my pots ready for Winter . The ants here has been very bad here and I have to use a ant dust to kill them of myself.

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

I’m not sure what it was. But I did wonder if it was the spider that got on my hands a few weeks back and I did the dance?

@uschiaala

2 ай бұрын

@@phaedragardeness it's a wolf spider, just a baby one. They are good to have around the garden - good pest control. It would be nice to be able to explain to them that they should be staying outside though 🙂

Leave the spiders alone Phaedra. They don’t like you😂

@phaedragardeness

3 ай бұрын

I wish they disliked me so much they would stay away 😂