Search Results for: label/powdery mildew

1 Million People Want to Know

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…mal DNA. Many Americans are concerned about the negative effects of GMO use on the agricultural economy and small-scale and organic farming. Surveys show a wide majority of Americans support mandatory labeling. At least 21 countries and the European Union have established some form of mandatory labeling. Mandatory labeling will allow consumers to identify food products they want to avoid. So why not label? Well, here are some of the argu…

Favorite Fall Flowers

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…asters grow abundantly and in so many climates makes them a good choice for low-maintenance, native plant, and butterfly gardens. Luckily for gardeners everywhere, European plant breeders took asters across the Atlantic about 100 years ago and developed scads of cultivars and hybrids with tidier habits and improved flower characteristics. They gave us old favorites like lavender-blue Professor Kippenburg and Monch, and bright-rose Alma Potschke….

Rain, Rain Go Away

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…s in foliage, flower buds, and fruit as they feed. It’s been a wet summer in the Northeast and nearly every day we seem to have rain in the forecast. The National Weather Service reports that Burlington, VT, has received 2 inches more rain than average since June 1. Campers and the beach crowd are singing the blues, but slugs and snails are grooving to “Happy Days Are Here Again!” Slug and snail control products are flying off the shelves a…

Best Zinnias for Cutting

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…ompany Ernst Benary Samenzucht. Founded in 1843, this family-owned business has a long and interesting history. Their specialty is begonias, but over the years they’ve introduced hundreds of new perennials and more than 20 All-America Selection winners. Bred in Holland specifically for the cut-flower trade, Benary’s Giants have long, extra-sturdy stems and extremely long-lasting blooms (7 to 10 days in a vase). The plants are hefty —…

Spring Pruning Basics

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…r airflow means less chance for diseases, such as powdery mildew. To renew the viburnum hedge, I used a pruning saw to take out about a third of the older branches — right at ground level. Then, I reduced the height by 1 to 2 feet. The “tough-love” pruning looks a little harsh, but the effort will pay off. After you’ve thinned the shrub, stand back and take out branches that don’t “fit” the structure of th…

Safe Trees for Small Yards

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…merge. Fall color is usually yellow to brilliant red-orange. This U.S. native has edible berries that birds adore and the graceful branching pattern makes it appealing even in winter. The variety Autumn Brilliance grows up to 25 feet tall. Most varieties grow in USDA Zones 3 through 8. Flowering crabapples (Malus varieties) come in hundreds of shapes, sizes and colors, making the choice of which one to buy the biggest challenge. To narrow the se…

oxalis

If Not Impatiens, What? Shady Solutions

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This combination features New Guinea impatiens, a type of impatiens that is not affected by the disease. Featured plants: Infinity White New Guinea impatiens, variegated sweet flag (Acorus gramineus), white licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare) and Green spice heuchera. Photos: Courtesy of Proven Winners Have you heard about the new disease that’s wiping out impatiens across the country? Known as “impatiens downy mildew,” it…

Perennial Diva: Stephanie Cohen

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…mple University and former director of the school’s Landscape Arboretum. An avid gardener herself, she’s an award-winning speaker, writer, designer, and teacher, and has been a fixture in the horticultural world for more than 20 years. Plant hybridizers readily recognize her knowledge and influence and she has plants named in her honor. Dr. Darrel Apps, the daylily breeder who introduced Happy Returns and scores of other fabulous daylilies, named…

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Report Links Pesticides to Children’s Health Problems

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Though cold winds chill the air and snow blankets much of the U.S., pesticide use remains a hot topic — and not only among gardeners. The most recent comments come from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Environmental Health, whose December 2012 policy statement makes a clear link between pesticide exposure and children’s health problems. Published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the 60,000-member AAP, “Pesticide Ex…

Spinosad: a New Option for Control of Lily Leaf Beetles

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…en the earth-friendly ones. At first, I tried neem, a relatively harmless spray that does wonders on aphids and controls blackspot on roses. It worked to control the larvae the first year, but I had to spray frequently (every 10 to 15 days). The second year, I couldn’t keep the larvae under control. My lily crop was hit hard, and I got few blooms. Last year, I decided to resort to a systemic called imidacloprid. The results were instantaneo…