GREENFLY, RUST DISEASE, & RASPBERRY DISORDERS

We are having fabulous weather in the UK right now and it has been so for quite some time. Here in West Yorkshire, on the Pennine mountains, as is the case in many parts of the UK, we haven't had any decent rain for it seems like weeks and the sun is blazing down every day.  Greenfly seem to like this weather and are trying to infest my roses (Wild Eve and New Dawn), and rust disease on the raspberries and white drupelet disorder on the fruit are affecting my precious Polka raspberries. 

White drupelet disorder on raspberries

caused by scorching sunshine 

I squash the greenflies with my fingers as they are only infesting the tender tips of roses at the moment, so that's easily dealt with.  As for the white drupelet disorder on the raspberries, as I consider it is due to the hot and sunny weather, I am ignoring it.  The same applies for the rust disease.  It comes and goes, year by year, sometimes appears not at all, sometimes it is worse than others, but the raspberries are always as good.  So, I don't worry about it.  I try very hard not to use pesticides in my garden.  I have the bees and other insects to think about, not to mention the resident Ragdoll Cat, Alfie. 

Rust disease on raspberry leaves



The above image shows the orange rust disease on raspberry leaves.  I have not found that it affects the fruit like the hot sun does, nor has it affected the production of canes over the years.  Today I picked a big bowl of healthy raspberries.  Funnily, and I am not complaining, birds leave my raspberries alone and I have never, ever, seen bugs or worms or anything on or in the fruit itself. 

Bowl of Polka raspberries



The poor farmers must be having a dreadful time of it.  A friend told me that her son-in-law and daughter are having to buy feed for their dairy herd as no rain means no grass growth.  There is an expression 'it never rains but it pours'.  Well, it seems it never sunshines but it scorches lately. 



Greenfly aphid infestation can debilitate roses

The above photograph was taken by me a few years ago at a Royal Horticultural Society garden centre, which goes to show that any gardener can be plagued by aphids. 

Alfie the Ragdoll Cat, snoozing in partial shade among the penstemons