Q: I love the Sacramento climate for my vegetable garden. Is there a lettuce that I can grow here in the summer months?

– Sue Watkins, Sacramento

A: Several years ago, The Sacramento Bee published a story about how Asian immigrant farmers were growing lettuce here during the summer, said UC Master Gardener Bill Pierce. They constructed low structures out of sticks, grew vegetable vines on the structure and raised lettuce in the shaded area underneath.

"I have never gotten around to it, but I planned to replicate their plan by buying a row cover system that consisted of small metal hoops and covering them with shade cloth that was rated at least 75 percent shade," Pierce said.

It's not just the sun's heat that makes growing summer lettuce difficult here. Lettuce has to have a constant supply of moisture and must be in continued growth to prevent it from becoming bitter.

Keeping lots of water on a clay soil could lead to soil compaction and plant root death.

Added Pierce, "So, I planned to amend the soil with 3 or 4 inches of organic material. If I ever do this, I'd grow various kinds of leaf lettuce."

Q: I live in Oroville. Last spring, our roses – as they were coming to full bloom – had a bug right in the inside of the blossom. It was quite a large bug, about the size of my small fingernail. It was colored with a black head or front part, and kind of a gray and black mottled print on its back.

There didn't seem to be any bugs on the leaves or bushes otherwise, just on the blossoms when they open up.

My neighbor is having the same problem. What is it?

– Toni Edwards, Oroville

A: According to a UC master gardener, your description fits that of the Fuller's rose weevil. Larvae feed on roots, but the adults are the most damaging stage of this weevil.

Adult weevils generally feed on foliage or blossoms, causing them to appear notched or ragged; leaves may be clipped from twigs.

Unless populations are high, this damage does not harm established woody plants and can be ignored. Provide proper cultural care to keep plants vigorous and better able to tolerate damage.

Trim branches that provide a bridge to other plants or the ground and apply a 6-inch band of sticky material to trunks to prevent the flightless weevils from feeding on foliage.

Many people control these by reaching into the flowers to capture these bugs and kill them. If you are not opposed to chemical controls, there are products on the market that contain imidacloprid, a systemic insecticide, that will give you long-term control of many insects that feed on roses.

You can learn more about pests that attack roses – and how to control them – at the Sacramento Rose Society's website, www.sactorose.org. Follow the links to "Rose Pests & Disease," put together by entomologist and local rose expert Baldo Villegas.

GARDEN QUESTIONS?

Questions are answered by master gardeners at the UC Cooperative Extension services in Sacramento and Placer counties. Send questions to Garden Detective, P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852. Send email to h&g@sacbee.com. Please put "Garden Detective" in the subject field and include your postal address. To contact your UC Extension directly, call:

• Sacramento: (916) 875-6913; 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. weekdays

• Amador: (209) 223-6838; 10 a.m.-noon Monday through Thursday; email ceamador.ucdavis.edu

• Butte: (530) 538-7201; 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. weekdays

• El Dorado: (530) 621-5512; 9 a.m.-noon weekdays

• Placer: (530) 889-7388; 9 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays or leave a message and calls will be returned

• Nevada: (530) 273-0919; 9 a.m.-noon Tuesdays through Thursday or leave a message

• Shasta, Tehama, Trinity: (530) 225-4605

• Solano: (707) 784-1322; leave a message and calls will be returned

• Sutter, Yuba: (530) 822-7515; 9 a.m.-noon Mondays and Tuesdays and 1-4 p.m. Thursdays

• Yolo: (530) 666-8737; 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, or leave a message and calls will be returned

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