August is upon us with great expectations for dahlias but there is both desire for their moment of beauty and despair with all that can and does go wrong. Just this week, the fabulous dahlia ‘Fleurel’,
Dahlia 'Fleurel'
a well-known white dinnerplate variety, made her move for first place in the dahlia beds! At the same time, the despair comes in large doses. One of the dahlia potted up in a container began to droop, and upon examination a small hole was found where something had actually dug deep to EAT the tuber. 
This is all that was left of the dahlia below soil line! On another potted dahlia I saw a few drooping leaves and thought this was peculiar, only to find this insect that mimics a piece of stick or dried leaf. Who knows what this is?
One really has to dwell on the beauty and let the disappointment roll away, or one would never choose to be a gardener!
Dahlia 'Rock star'
I am going to say it…..Garden like a rock star!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOdWxf1tRmI
“I want it all and I want it now.” In gardening, you are going to get it all!
Jayne In Georgia 
There’s always something out to get you. This morning my Cleome plants were quite sturdy, although not in flower yet; this afternoon they were covered in caterpillars happily chomping away, the plants are now looking very sorry for themselves. Beautiful dahlias by the way.
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Caterpillars that are going to become butterflies, I hope!
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These are the times that try gardeners’ souls. You have certainly got some energetic critters, to be climbing up and down and around and through! Sigh. Your resilience is inspiring. We’ve had some critter damage recently as well. Worms got two of our zucchini plants and some four-footed gourmand hit one tiny spot of the beans and a few of the nasturtiums. Mystifying.
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you ARE the gardening-rock-star!
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