Plant Clinic now open

Every year Haywood County Extension trains Master Gardener Volunteers to help answer your horticultural questions. Once trained, these volunteers staff the hotline in our plant clinic from 9am-noon daily, Monday-Friday. Please take advantage of this service by calling 456-3575 or feel free to stop by with your samples.

They're Back!

This past week I was making a field call and saw my first tent caterpillars of the season. At this point in the year, the nests are small and easy to remove from the trees. Although unsightly, this insect does very little damage to their host tree.

For more information, you can contact an Extension Master Gardener at 456-3575 or view my post entitled Eastern Tent Caterpillar.

http://masteryourgarden.blogspot.com/2007/04/eastern-tent-caterpillar.html

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note61/note61.html

Winter Daphne

One of my favorite evergreen shrubs is now in full bloom. If you get a moment to stop by the Extension Office in Jackson Park you can enjoy the magnificent aroma of Daphne odora, also known as winter Daphne. Each year we have many people stop in to ask the name of the fragrant shrub outside our door that is blooming in early March. It is not something one can ignore.

Winter Daphne can be fickle to grow. They do not tolerate poorly drained soils or extreme temperature fluctuations. We have ours planted in the front beds so they are protected by the building, and seem to be very happy. They tolerate full sun, but prefer a part shade environment.

No Spray Roses for Southeastern US

Black spot (Diplocarpon rosae, Marssonina rosae) is one of the most common and important diseases of roses throughout the world. Black spot will cause a general weakening of the plant so that progressively fewer and fewer blooms are formed if the disease is left unchecked. Spots are nearly circular with fringed or feathery margins and vary in size. Surrounding leaf tissue turns yellow before dropping. Bottom leaves are normally affected first. Conditions that favor the development are 75-85 degrees F, temperatures with relative humidity above 85%, overcrowding and reduced air flow.

Cercospora leafspot (Cercospora puderi, Cercospora rosicola) is characterized by the appearance of numerous tiny maroon to purple oval spots scattered randomly across the leaf surface. Later the center of the spot turns tan to gray in color while the margins remain maroon to dark purple. Heavily spotted leaves will turn yellow and prematurely shed. This infection can be easily confused with Blackspot. Same weather conditions that produce Blackspot will provide optimal growing conditions for Cercospora.

A homeowner may use a fungicide labeled for control of Blackspot to control both of these fungal infections. Fungicides, such as Daconil and Immunox, which are recommended as weekly treatments for blackspot control, should also provide good protection from Cercospora leaf spot when applied on the same schedule.

The University of Tennessee has been conducting a no-spray rose trial for the last two years. A total of 136 cultivars were evaluated for their resistance to black spot and cercospora leaf spot in 3 test locations across the state. Below you will find a listing of the most resistant cultivars of shrub roses. If you would like a full listing of rose cultivars tested, please contact me for a handout.

o Carefree Sunshine (Yellow)
o Hansa (Mauve)
o Homerun (Flame Red)
o Knockout (Cherry Red)
o Palmengarten Frankfurt (Mauve Pink)
o Pink Knockout (Pink)
o Wildberry Breeze (Mauve)

Information provided by Alan Windham, University of Tennessee Extension Service.
American Rose Society http://www.ars.org/

Drought Information

While we have received some precipitation over the past several weeks, the drought conditions in North Carolina still exists. I received an email today with a couple of websites that may be of help as you deal with the ongoing drought conditions. I hope you find these sites useful.

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agcomm/difference/drought/

http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_state.htm?NC,SE

Master Your Garden Lectures

Henderson County Extension Master Gardeners are offering a series of lectures to the public. There will be a small fee of $5.00 per participant for each program to support future educational efforts by the Master Gardeners. All lectures will be held on Mondays in March, April and May at 3:30pm in the classroom at the Bullington Center.

Spring 2008 Schedule
March 3rd – Growing Herbs – Betty Lockwood
March 17th – Beware of Green Invaders – Alan Mizeras
April 7th – Proper Planting Techniques – Jane Davis
April 21st – Growing Wildflowers - Pierre Hart
May 5th – Learn to Make a Rain Barrel - Kathy Connors & Barbara Patton
May 19th – Vegetable Gardening – Pierre Hart

To register for these or other upcoming Mastering Your Garden Lectures, call the Extension office at 697-4891. Keep checking our website http://henderson.ces.ncsu.edu/ for more information on upcoming lectures.

Successful Gardening in the Mountains

Coming soon!

This is a program designed for homeowners who want to learn more about how to successfully manage their home landscapes and gardens. This class consists of 10 participants who will travel to each of the other participants homes to discuss issues related to their specific location. This class meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-12pm. Participants will learn about plant selection, pruning, planting, pest issues and other issues that arise during the class. This class is conducted in the field and requires the ability to navigate different terrains. The initial meeting will be conducted at the extension office. This class will last 5 weeks. Cost for this program $25.

The first session of this program will begin on Tuesday, May 13th. For more information call 456-3575