I noticed black spots all over the leaves of our hibiscus. Tiny black bugs – I think they are aphids – are crawling all over. There seem to be ants racing up and down the branches “farming” the aphids.
Confession: I don’t really like hibiscus and wouldn’t be overly sad if it went. They seem to tropical for Brooklyn and the flowers remind me of the Ocean Pacific tee shirts I wore in junior high. This tree was left by the precious owners of our apartment. This tree does have one cool trick: it blooms twice each season. It flowered to welcome us in September, just as we moved in.
We’ve never had a problem with roof garden pests before and I don’t want these aphids to spread to other plants. Luckily RP and I are taking a class at Brooklyn Botanic Garden tomorrow. I bet we’ll find some advice there.
Brooklyn Roof Garden 