Japanese beetles - UGH. Before the zinnias bloomed, I sprayed the foliage, but that is pretty much gone after the next rain. What I do, which seems to work very well, is use a Japanese Beetle spray - it contains pyrethrin .... this means you have to "spot spray" the beetles & absolutely do not get any on the blooms or it will kill the butterflies & bees.
I must say, it gives me IMMENSE pleasure to spray the Japs & watch them almost immediately start showing neurological symptoms ... some will fly off, others start crawling aimlessly around, others just fall off the plant.
Zinnias are fantastic - easy to grow, fairly hardy, beautiful blooms that make nice cut flowers, & the bees/butterflies love them. I like to plant a late crop, around now - August 1. By the time they come up/bloom, the earlier zinnias are about 'done' - the butterflies/bees seem to appreciate the blooms when flowers are becoming scarce in the fall and I love blooms late in the garden. I did find out that once the plants are frost-killed, it's not worth it to harvest the blooms for seeds.
I took these pics today - a little 'fuzzy' because the camera had been in AC & it was very hot/humid outside & the lens kept fogging!
Zinnia bed in foreground, looking at bed with morning glories (climbing, not blooming yet) & marigolds. Second zinnia bed in the background.
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Closer view of morning glories/marigolds, zinnias in background.
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Not zinnia related - my crazy cherry (Sungold) tomatoes. This is just two plants & they have gone wild - LOADED with blooms/tiny green tomatoes. Somewhere in the middle are some giant marigolds that have gotten overgrown by the tomatoes.
