NEW MASTER GARDENERS

Congratulations to the 2015 Master Gardener Class! They took, and passed, their final exam. For the next year, they are going to volunteer through the Extension Service to complete the internship.

Your friends and neighbors who have completed their coursework are:

Wayne Bennett

Katherine Bright Diana Brown

Kristal DiCarlo Tracey Easton

Mike Freel Jody Godshall

Raymond Hama Jr. Margie Kraus

Will LaRue Terri Sharp Jana Sooter

Burks Waldeck Athleen Wiles Darrell Witten Sheila Witten

Look for the newbies at the Extension

office working in the gardens and at the Hardin County Farmer’s Market on the 3rd Saturdays starting in June. They will definitely be at the Lincoln Trail Area Master Gardener PLANT FAIR! Some will be teaching the Gardener’s

Toolbox Classes this summer and fall. You will also find them in the office answering horticulture questions on the phone, or around the county in our “ask the expert” booths. I am so excited about what this class will do! If you are interested in becoming a KY Extension Master Gardener, just call the

office and let us know that you want to be on the Interested Master Gardener list. We take names for that list all throughout the year and when I’m ready for a new class I will contact the “Interested List” and we will schedule a new class. (This is when most of the previous class has finished their internship obligations.) You will stay on the list for about 5 years, because I know that the classes may not fit in your schedule the first time!

Inside this issue:

Jumping Oak Galls 2

Brown Evergreens 3

On-going Research 4

Flower Bits 5

Good Bug/Bad Bug 6

Things Bounce 6

Gardeners’ Tool

Box Series 7

Summer 2015

Hardin County Extension Service Horticulture Newsletter

The Four Seasons Volume 17, Issue 2

Hardin County Extension Office 201 Peterson Drive

Elizabethtown, KY 42701 (270) 765-4121

www.hardinhort.org

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Curling and premature drop of white oak leaves in early summer along with a “fall-out” of tiny balls (Figure 1) onto surfaces below indicate that jumping oak galls are abundant. These leaf galls are the handiwork of a tiny non-stinging wasp. Fallen galls spontaneously jump with flips of the wasp larvae inside. This random movement allows them to settle into ground cracks where they will spend the winter. Small bumps appear on upper leaf surfaces (Figure 2).

Look for tiny button-shaped galls on lower leaf surfaces (Figure 3).

Gall development begins when female wasps place eggs in expanding leaves in spring. Chemicals from the insect cause leaf tissue to

develop around the grub-like wasp larva, providing it with protection and food. The more galls that are present on a leaf, the more browning will occur. Leaf loss is unlikely to affect healthy, established trees. However, it can harm already stressed or damaged trees.

Management

Insecticide applications are not recommended for gall wasp control. It is difficult to time insecticide treatments correctly and often sprays kill many of the natural enemies that reduce gall formation in most years. White oaks in the landscape may benefit from fertilizer next spring and watering if infested trees are under drought stress. Outbreaks of this insect occur at intervals and may last for 2 years; the last significant infestations were reported in 2010. The best strategy is to promote tree health and reduce stress.

Jumping Oak Galls

Figure 1. Jumping oak leaf galls that have fallen from an infested

tree. (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK)

Figure 2. Small bumps surrounded by yellow halos are visible on the top view of an infested leaf. (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK)

Figure 3. Galls on underside of heavily infested leaf. Light

galls are a few days away from maturity and exit of the in-

sect, while dark galls are “ripe.” (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK)

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While the temperatures are starting to get warmer and things are starting to green up, some plants are not looking so good. I have received many calls this spring concerning holly bushes, crepe myrtle and Southern magnolias just to name a few. While the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts our part of the state of Kentucky in zone 6, which means our coldest temperatures average between -10°F – 0°F, we experienced temperatures below this during the past winter. What this means for the plants that are marginally hardy for our area is that they have suffered damage or death.

So the pattern of cold that lead up to these plant problems started late last fall when we had snow and lower than normal temperatures followed by a period of warmer than average temperatures in early winter. Then in late winter we had the coldest temperatures in recent years. Fluctuating temperatures can make it difficult for plants to acclimate.

Plants lose the majority of their water from their foliage, thus deciduous plants drop their foliage in the fall to reduce their need for water during winter months when water is likely to be frozen. Deciduous plants will continue to lose water through the winter but it is at significantly lower rates. However, the water lost through those dormant stems must still be replaced to prevent damage and sometimes this is not possible if the soil and/or stems are frozen.

During this past winter we had many sunny days where there was wind along with low humidity that resulted in more water loss from evergreen foliage and twigs than what the plants could absorb and move through the plant. With this increase in water loss and the water in the soil and stems frozen, the plant still tried to pull moisture from the soil which created air pockets or embolisms in the xylem cells which are the conducting tubes that move water from the soil to the top of the plant. If you add this situation with the action of shaking frozen stems to remove ice and snow or stems bent by ice, snow and wind can break cell walls and reduce the plants’ ability to move water and minerals.

So in late winter and early spring we started noticing many broadleaved and needled evergreens that are on the upper edge of their hardiness zone starting to turn brown. Some examples of plant species you may be noticing this damage on are: Boxwoods, Chinese holly, Southern magnolia, Crepe Myrtle, and Leyland cypress.

Many of you may have noticed that the broadleaved evergreens that are susceptible to this damage looked green and healthy during the really cold winter temperatures and moving into the warm

spring days, but what you couldn’t see was the significant damage that had happened to the xylem cells or the long tubes of conductive tissue that transports water up into the plant. There was still some healthy tissue that was working overtime trying to supply the plant with the water it needed but after a few 80*F days in spring the conductive tissue was not able to keep up with the plants rapid loss of water which resulted in leaf and stem death. It is extremely important that when we look at putting new plants in our landscapes that we try to match the plants to their location, meaning if a plant you are looking at is a marginally hardy southern plant, it

does not belong in most Kentucky landscapes. If you have plants suffering from winter injury

give some time to see if it will send out new growth. If you want to prune out the dead plant material it is advised that this not be done until the chance of the last frost has passed and for our area this is May 1st.

It is not recommended that you apply a spring fertilizer to any plants suffering from winter injury. The added nitrogen can encourage more spring growth than the already damaged stems can supply water and nutrients to, especially during hot, dry summer months. Watering these plants during dry periods will be more beneficial than fertilizer. The best time to fertilize woody landscape plants is in the fall after leaf drop.

Information for this article came from Dr. William Fountain, UK Extension Professor of Arboriculture And Landscape Management and Julie W. Beale, UK Extension Plant Diagnostician

Why Is My Evergreen Brown?

Leyland Cypress showing winter

damage .

4

WE NEED YOUR HELP

TO EVALUATE

THE UK BEDDING PLANT

TRIAL

AT THE HARDIN COUNTY

EXTENISON OFFICE

With a Smart phone:

1. Scan the QR code

on the plant label.

(You can download

a QR code reader

from your App

Store.)

2. Answer

the three

questions.

3. Click submit.

4. Repeat for all 20 plants.

Sample

5

The Cooperative Extension Service prohibits discrimination in its programs and employment on the basis

of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

To file a complaint of discrimination, contact Tim West, UK College of Agriculture, 859-257-3879; Terry

Allen or Patty Bender, UK Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity, 859-257-8927; or the USDA,

Director Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Bldg., 14th & Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC

20250-9410 (202-720-5964).

Snail Flower or Snail Vine, (Vigna caracalla), was grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. Originally discovered growing in Caracas, Venezuela, it is now grown by gardeners across the United States. Its beautiful spiral-shaped pale

purple flowers with cream and yellow markings makes it distinctive. It’s also very fragrant, so grow it where you will pass by it. It attracts bees, butterflies and birds. Vines in tropical regions can reach 20'. Snail Flower can be successfully grown in pots with adequate support.

Very easy to overwinter indoors with numerous blooms the second season. In our gardens, it’s a tender vine grown as an annual.

Wow! Look what happened to the lowly carrot!

This is Ammi ‘Dara’. It’s the same as the Queen Anne’s Lace that you see going on the sides of the

road in early summer. Breeders have bred them to have seven to fifteen pink, white and dark purple flowers on a three to four foot stem. Mostly a cut flower, you can eat the root, but only if you are REALLY hungry. (it doesn’t have much flavor.)

Although not a new plant and technically a native to the American Plains, Rudbeckia maxima ‘Golda Emanis’ is a bold choice for the perennial garden. It has two-foot wide clump of gold foliage, fading to a chartreuse in the summer, then it’s topped in yellow daisies up to seven feet tall! It was found as a seedling of a Cherokee County, Texas plant, discovered by Texas

plantsman Greg Grant and named after his great aunt. Goldfinches love the seeds and you can get hours of entertainment by watching their antics. Definitely a full-sun plant. It will tolerate drought and neglect, if it gets a little water, every once in a while. You need to grow this just to have a conversation starter with the neighbors!

Flower Bits

Rudbeckia maxima, with flowers.

Rudbeckia maxima ‘Golda Emanis’

foliage.

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GOOD BUG? BAD BUG?

What is this? If you see this on your plants, would you squish it or leave it? When a lady beetle larva finishes feeding, it attaches the end of its abdomen to a surface and molts to the pupa stage. Pupae of the multicolored Asian lady beetle are commonly found attached to foliage (Figure 1). The adult emerges (Figure 2) after about a week. While the pupae are curiosities, they also indicate that natural control has been going on nearby. Keep the lady beetle population going! They eat a lot of aphids. Lady beetles and their larvae are common and easy to find in Kentucky during summer and early fall, especially on garden plants and in crops where they can be found hunting on leaves for aphids and other small insects.

It is often said that it is bad luck to kill a ladybug. In fact, many people believe that ladybugs are lucky. This is even mentioned in the Four Seasons song, "Lucky Ladybug," from 1963. It is believed in Europe that the number of spots on certain lady beetle species can predict the coming harvest: fewer spots is good, too many spots is bad (this is probably not true, by the way!).

The temperatures are rising and the insects and diseased plants are arriving into the office at an increasing rate. With the cold winter and wet spring, the weather has played into the hands of a lot of plant diseases. Good thing for the pathologists, not so good for plants.

Don’t despair. Plants are resilient. They

will bounce back.

“Enjoy the flowers, for they do not last long. But in the garden, there is a new flower every day.”- Unknown.

Happy Gardening, Amy Aldenderfer County Extension Agent for Horticulture

Things Bounce Back

Figure 1

Figure 2. Newly emerged lady bee-

tle next to empty pupa. (Photos:

Lee Townsend, UK)

Figure 3: Lady beetle larvae and adult.

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All Classes are held at the Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m.

All Classes are $5 each, unless otherwise noted.

Gardener’s Toolbox Series

Summer 2015

Payment for each of the Gardener’s Toolbox classes are required TWO WEEKS prior

to the class date. You will be registered on a first pay, first registered basis.

Cancellations will be fully refunded TWO WEEKS prior to the class date. Please let us know as early as possible if you have to cancel, we probably have others on a wait

list.

HOW TO GROW Classes: If you would like to attend the class but do NOT want the supplies, there is the option of not paying the class supply fee. Please notify the front

desk when registering.

Composting in the Home Garden - July 20th - 6:00 p.m. -

FREE Composting is an easy way to recycle yard waste and kitchen scraps. Learn how to recycle these nutrients into your garden for a free fertilizer.

Making A Mosaic Pot - July 28 and 30 - 6:00 p.m. Cost $ 35.00

(includes ALL supplies) In this two-part class, you will decorate an 8-inch terracotta pot and saucer with mosaic tiles in the first class. Then, come back two days later and learn all about grouting. Class size is limited.

Make-Your-Own Peace Pole - August 4- 6:00 p.m. - $5.00

What are peace poles? A peace pole is a hand-crafted monument that displays

the message and prayer “May Peace Prevail on Earth”. You can make your own

‘peace pole’ in this class to display in your own garden or yard. Promote peace

and join in planting a universal message of peace. Class is limited to 20.

Sign up online @

hardinext.org

IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT!

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