Lilies are amazing; they have a wonderful scent, they are gorgeous when in bloom and they come in thousands of varieties. What is not amazing however, is the lily beetle.

These pesky beetles devour the leaves, leaving a bared, scared stem in place of the usual sturdy stalk. There are some things you can do to keep this from happening to your lilies.

The first step is to determine if you have this pest. You don't have to wait for a defoliated plant to give you an indication, you can start by checking the lilies several times a week, beginning as soon as the plants emerge from the ground. 

The adult beetle is about 0.5 in. long, and is red on top and black underneath. Once you spot them, it's important to remove them immediately. They are very quick and once they sense movement, they will drop to the soil and lie on their backs making it quite difficult to find them. One trick is to have a jar of soapy water at the ready, when you spot a beetle, nudge it off the leaf and into the jar. 

After taking care of the adults, it's time to move onto the eggs and babies. Hundreds of eggs hatch at one time and will immediately begin feeding. The larvae are yellow, brown and orange, which should make them easy to spot, however, these guys are disgusting! Their favourite defense mechanism is to cover themselves with their poop. Yes, I said poop. This makes them difficult to see. They are also harder to kill. Squishing them doesn't necessarily kill them, so it may be best to pick off the entire leaf and place that into a jar of soapy water.

One precautionary measure you can take, as the adult beetles like to over-winter in the surrounding soil, in early spring, stir up the mulch or soil around your lilies and kill any emerging beetles before they have a chance to lay any eggs.

There are a couple of pesticides that have shown some promise in response to the beetles. They are Neem Oil (a botanical insecticide made from the Neem Tree) and Spinosad (derived from soil-dwelling bacterium). Neem Oil is only effective in the early season and only on the young larvae. It must be applied every 5-7 days with a heavy and complete coverage. Spinosad is best used at the first sign of the beetles. 

Although other insecticides have shown to be effective, there is concern about how these pesticides affect the environment and beneficial, non-target insects. Pesticides containing imidacloprid, in particular, are now linked to honeybee death and colony collapse disorder. This pesticide causes the nectar and pollen of treated plants to become toxic to bees.

All organic or chemical pesticides should be handled as directed by the manufacturer. There are no pesticides specifically registered for use on lily beetles in Canada.

My absolute favorite flower is the Peony. It also happens to be the one flower my husband does not want me to grow! The reason is the ants that Peonies need to help open the blooms. Every year, my husband turns into Arnold Schwarzenegger and wages war against the ants in our yard.

He's tried everything to get rid of them, from homemade concoctions, chemicals procured from the store, and fire (I don't recommend this route, it left bare patches on our lawn for years!). So needles to say, he doesn't want me to grow anything that will attract his enemies!

But guess what?!?! The Lavender Tree Peony is different. This Peony blooms without any help from ants! Not only that, the Tree Peony also takes care of the one thing I didn't like about Peonies - they don't need any supports! That's right, they grow on wood stems instead. I think I'm in love!

​The Tree Peony blooms in mid-late spring with massive, fragrant blossoms. They will be slow growing in the beginning (possibly the first few years), but once established, a mature Tree Peony can have over 50 flowers, blooming continually for about two weeks.

These Peonies are deer and rabbit resistant, need about 5-6 hours of sunlight a day, and do not like to be over-watered. Also, unlike your typical Peony, you won't need to cut these back in fall. Tree Peonies are grown on "old wood", meaning the blooms will regrow on last years stems.

I don't know about you, but I think I'll be planting a Peony this year :-) 

Looking to add a little colour to a shade garden? Silver Scrolls Heuchera make a wonderful addition, starting off silver and burgundy in spring and deeping to silver and near-black later in the season. Delicate light-pink flowers appear in late spring to early summer adding another layer of interest.

This perennial is extremely versatile, use it in: mass plantings, rock gardens, border edging, ground cover and containers. Silver Scrolls really stands out when next to variegated plants such as Fire & Ice or Ben Vernooij Hostas.

Heuchera grow best in medium wet, well-drained soils and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. Silver Scrolls will grow well in full shade as well as full morning sun, but only in our cooler climate. To keep this Heuchera blooming longer, remove the stems of flowers as they fade. 

If your not yet convinced that this is a great addition to your garden, you should also know that not only is Silver Scrolls deer and rabbit resistant, but it will attract butterflies and hummingbirds!

Planing on growing Watermelons this summer? Remember to put a barrier between the melons and the soil. This reduces the risk of rot and disease. 

Also, Watermelons don't continue to ripen after being picked so harvest timing is important. Here are some tricks to see if they are ready to be picked:

• Thump it. If the watermelon sounds hollow, it’s ripe.
• Look at the color on the top. The watermelon is ripe when there is little contrast between the stripes.
• Press on it. If the watermelon sounds like it gives a little, it’s ripe.
• Check the tendril. If it’s green, wait. If it’s half-dead, the watermelon is nearly ripe or ripe. If the tendril is fully dead, it’s ripe or overripe.

You think you've seen one Aster, you've seen them all, right? Actually... you would be wrong! Wait until you get a look at the Tiger Paw Asters! 

Each bloom is 3-5 in. each, plus at an average height of 2 ft. tall, these flowers are sure to stand out in your garden this year! The name "Tiger Paw" comes from the look of the bloom,with it's incurving quill petals that resemble the claws on the paw of a tiger. 

These flowers are great in the middle of a border, as well as make an excellent cut flower. Tiger Paw will bloom from mid-summer to late fall, attracting butterflies all the while!

Would look lovely mixed among some Ornamental Grasses, Dahlias or Salvia.

​When planting Tomatoes in the garden, regardless if it's a Roma, Beefsteak, Heirloom, Cherry, etc., always cover the stem, up to the first set of leaves, with soil. This encourages root growth which in turn, makes a stronger and healthier plant.

​There really is nothing happier than a Sunflower. The bright yellow blooms against a clear blue sky are just so joyful! Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy these flowers all summer long? Typical Sunflowers bloom just 2-3 weeks. But now, the new Sunfinity Sunflower produces over 100 blooms throughout the summer, ensuring Sunflowers all summer long!

​Sunfinity doesn't have the rigid stalks and upright habit of the typical Sunflower, but instead has a bit of a shrubby appearance, similar to that of a Shasta Daisy. Each bloom is approximately 4-in. in diametre and is quite fertile, attracting and feeding both bees and butterflies!

These work great in a hedge or in a container; plant with some Calibrachoa and some black or bronze sweet potato vine for a striking look!

​The reason why we prune plants in the spring is to stimulate growth so want to be careful not to do it too early in case of an unexpected frost (like we don't have those here!). 

Summer blooming plants like Peonies and Echinacea should be pruned in spring after the risk of frost is gone. 

Spring blooming plants like Bleeding Hearts and Asters should be pruned only after they bloom so that you don't remove any future flowers.