Archive for the ‘Virus diseases’ Category

Preventing Disease Outbreaks In The Garden

              When a sick plant has been diagnosed with a viral or bacterial disease, your only option is to remove the diseased branch by pruning or destroy the entire plant. You should start out by practicing prevention. Prevention is adopting good cultural and sanitation practices. Consider the following measures: Start with disease-free […]

Crocus: A Fine Start To Spring

              Crocus (Crocus spp.) can be your wake-up reminder that winter is coming to an end (USDA hardiness zones 3- 8). They bloom in late winter (in the south); fall blooming varieties are also available. Bulbs (they’re actually “corms”) are available in flower colors from blue, purple, white, yellow, and mixed […]

New England Aster A Great Pick For Fall Garden

                New England (NE) Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), aka Michaelmas Daisy, is a long-lived native perennial from the east shore west to New Mexico (USDA hardiness zones 4-8).  Flowering time is from August to October. It is a favorite choice for prairie restorations, roadside plantings, and wetland sites. This large aster species […]

Purple Heart Tradescantia

              Purple Heart tradescantia (Setcreasea pallida  ‘Purple Heart’), formerly Tradescantia purpurea), is an annual trailing groundcover with purple stems and violet-purple foliage. This flowering vine is primarily grown for its vibrant foliage. Purple Heart is utilized in garden beds, large containers or hanging baskets. By summer’s end individual plants may grow 8-12 […]

Sooty Mold Is Symptom Of Aphid Feeding

              Aphids are small (1 to 10 mm long) and pear shape. Infestations are often worse during wet cool days of spring; they are frequently feed on new growing shoots and leaves. Actively growing weeds also harbor aphids and may migrate over to favorite garden plants. Summer feeding aphids should never […]

Better Disease Resistance With Mountain Tomato Series

  Tomatoes are attacked by several diseases and insects. Most serious diseases are early blight, spotted wilt virus (TSWV), fusarium wilt (FW), Stemphylium Gray Leaf Spot (St), Alternaria leaf spot (A), and root knot nematodes (N). Major insect problems are aphids, thrips, stink bugs, blister beetles, fruit worms, horn worms, leaf miners, fruit flies, and […]

Aster ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ Is Spectacular Autumn Bloomer

Aster Raydon’s Favorite (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’) is one of our most reliable native perennial asters. This aromatic aster blooms in mid-autumn, covered with 1 ½ inch wide blue-purple daisy-like flowers with yellow centers. Butterflies and bumble bees are frequent visitors to this aster in my October garden. Night temps in the mid-twenties don’t injure […]

Pest Alert: Inspect All Garden Roses For Rose Rosette

Rose rosette is a serious virus disease of roses (Rosa spp.). Over the past 3 years ago gardeners have experienced losses of popular shrub roses. The disease continues to gain ground across the U.S. Rose nurseries are working feverishly to find a solution. Landscapers and gardeners should inspect all garden roses, including hybrid tea, grandiflora, […]

Don’t Let’em Sucker

Some grafted and budded shrubs and trees develop a bad habit to sending up shoots (suckering) from its rootsystem. This creates an untidy appearance around the base of shrubs and trees. Far worse, the root suckers may compete for domination over the cultivar graft. They may rob photosynthate, water and nutrients from the grafted plant. Eventually, the grafted portion may die. Gardeners select grafted plants for a number […]

Plant Autumn Asters Instead Of Mums

  Aromatic asters (Aster oblongifolius) is one of our finest late blooming native asters for the autumn garden in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). Through the spring and summer months, the dense gray-green shrubby foliage mounds grow 15-18 inches high and 24-30 inches wide. Hundreds of yellow-centered, daisy type flowers cover the […]