HI, I'd like a bank of Rhodos. Temperate rainforest. I'd like white, or deep red. About five feet. Any recommendations? What would be a nice large rhodo? About eight feet? Last year I kept digging up a yellow and black--caterpillar? centipede? Shiny and hard, black, with yellow dots on the sides. Can't find it in my bug book. Good or bad. Thanks, Shannon
Found this picture of a millipede, shiny black with yellow spots, on the What's That Bug web page. It's about a third of the way down the page, so you'll have scroll down to it. Picture shows it next to a big toe. Don't know if it helps any. WTB has some great bugs on it, by the way. Unusual and beautiful are just a few of the adjectives I would use. After learning what I was looking for, a Yellow-spotted millipede, I found this page with more information. Harry
Thanks. Millipede, eh? I will definitely check out that website. We have a lot of interesting bugs out here, and I'd love to find out what they are. These millipedes live quite deep in the soil. Cheers. Shannon
Don't know if you cought my addendum above, but you should check out the third link in my prior post for specific info on the Yellow-spotted Millepede. If you are interested in finding out the name of unknown insects, another good page with searchable keys, at least to a genus level, is BugGuide.com. It has a lot of illustrations and photos that help in the process. Harry
Mildew is pretty bad on many rhododendrons down here now. Blotches, dustiness and premature leaf drop result in some pretty sad--even dead--shrubs. Whether you have that up there yet or not be sure to check hardiness of any you are considering.
Ron, I worked in Redmond in the 80's and mildew didn't seem to be a problem then. Is it something I missed or has it started since then. Also wrote my brother-in-law to see what he had to say as he volunteers for the RSF and raises species rhododendron himself and his thought was that even spraying was not an option. Of course were talking a hundred plants of his own and probably more than a thousand, counting all the starts they do every year, at the Species Foundation. Is there any controls a homeowner can use that you know of? Harry
I read once that the de Rothschild estate got to the point where it was spending 32,000 pounds per year on fungicide, gave it up. http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/disease.cfm?RecordID=969
Thanks for the web page Ron. Nasty stuff. Haven't heard about it here in Spokane yet, but I have out of the loop for more than a few years now. Will have to see if I have anything to worry about. Harry
