RE the scale: https://fairfaxgardening.org/cottony-camellia-scale/

OP here. Thanks for the support. Back in the game today since it was so beautiful (although hot!) and got a bunch of veggie seedlings in the ground so am feeling hopeful again. I guess that's the addiction of gardening...you think, if only I do this thing differently, or try this other plant....

To the PP--yes, it is that cottony camellia scale--the property is full of holly trees and yew and japanese holly hedges, which all appear to be the scales absolute favorite, they're all COVERED in the stuff. I just hope it doesn't spread to everything else. Has anyone had this treated and do you know if the treatment is toxic? Unfortunately one of the infested shrubs is right next to our vegetable garden...

I moved into my house 5 years ago. It had extensive gardens that I thought I could maintain. Nope. I was wrong. It took being grounded by the pandemic for me to really get into fixing up the gardens again.

Having the right tools is very helpful. I bought an electric tiller and used it to tear out all of the weeds in the the flower beds. Then I started over in sections with flowers that I really like instead of the flowers that the previous owner loved.

There’s white puffy stuff all over my hollys. It’s driving me crazy. And black sooty mold that we can’t get rid of. Ugh

I feel you.

My roses are being ravaged by some little caterpillars (I watched the voracious jerks chowing down - until I sprayed them with the hose on jet). Something appears to be beheading my plants for spite and eating other ones. Our spring has been cold and a near frost nipped several of my peonies before they could bloom.

But that’s what gardening is. Taking your lumps and outsmarting the critters next year. I think I might be moving more to perennials and putting my cut flower garden in my backyard where it’s equally sunny but more sheltered from the wind.

You think you hate gardening, but you’ll never get out of the game. Wait till January when all the seed catalogues start hitting again....

Scale is horrible this year. Everywhere. I spoke to a contractor about it and he said they have been busy treating for it many customers

I had a day like this recently - I actually cried which I felt kind of embarrassed about. I was so overwhelmed. I had to regroup and think of what I could do that day and try and forget about the rest.

Is it camellia scale? It had taken over our yard and it’s what sent me over the edge. We had someone come out and he said he’s never seen it spread to dogwood, but apparently it’s really bad everywhere lately.

BTW I was sad about my peas last year for the same reason you mentioned. This year, they’re doing great. There are so many variables with it, but I understand the frustration.

It depends what effort you're willing to expend for what result. There are plenty of lower-maintenance gardens you could have, and those usually center around working with the soil and climate you have, to grow native plants and others that will thrive in the same environment, and making sure you're working with your sun exposure, not against it. There are groundcovers that are useful to combat weeds, instead of that unsightly mulch. We put down grass clippings from our lawnmower, because I can't stand regular mulch. I have a bed of prize roses and a sizeable vegetable garden that need occasional weed control, but other than, congenial plants and grass clippings and weeds it is! I like my natural mixed lawn better than I do a single varietal, weed-free one.

Every day I thank God I don’t have to grow my
Own food to survive. I’ve stopped trying to grow veggies and just do two pots of flowers on my front porch now. Everything else dies. I have peonies and hydrangeas and that’s it.

Gardening is like life...lots of highs and many lows. You get what you put into it. Takes lots of experimenting, diligence and research. I’m battling gophers, but insects and disease are always challenges as well.

Having good ground takes a lot of hard work. Especially for a new(er) build.

I’m not into gardening this year either. It’s strange bc it used to be my fav thing.

Same here.

Larvae. Weeds in the mulch. Ugh.

Start small and work your way up. I have a small yard but lots of plants and flowers. It takes me several hours a week to keep everything weeded, watered and mulched but I enjoy doing it. Some years are better than others and I just go with the flow. We will be moving in about 3 years time and I don’t think I have the energy to create another similar garden again though.

moved to the burbs during pandemic. Have had container gardens for years, belonged to a community garden, so had always dreamed of having an actual house with a yard.

Now it turns out all our shrubs and trees are infested with some sort of horrible white puffy scale thing and none of the flowers i planted seem to be blooming, the annuals are getting eaten by some sort of tiny bugs, I put i a raised by veggie garden and got maybe 10 peas before it got too hot. Oh, and the composted manure I got turns out to be full of weed seeds...and how did the lawn got to hell in less than a year?

I have no idea how people keep up with all this, help!