Garden almanac, Garden Pests, This week's garden questions

Spring is Tough for Gardeners

Spring is tough for gardeners in South Dakota. We get the twitch when temperatures get to the upper 70’s and think it could not possibly freeze now. But how wrong we are forgetting the last frost date is usually May 15th.

I planted only three tomato plants and been covering them for 6 nights in a row. I finally gave up when they started to die back. The frost finally took them. The onions and cole crops are still doing fine. The calendulas and bachelor buttons are good but the four o’clocks and cosmos are history.

The good news I have learned, most perennials and shrubs growing are not harmed especially if you live in a town that is a little warmer at night. Leaf buds are tougher than the flower buds are why my lilac blooms just coming out are looking a little wilted.

The bad news is with the flower buds on fruit trees. If they have broken dormancy your fruit may be history this year. Shrubs that bloom on new year’s wood may have been hit.

If your new growth on roses have been damaged and are blacken and curled, prune down to a nondamaged section of the cane.

If your garden plants are blackened, do not try to bring back to life, replant, it is still early.

Landscaping

Garden Art

Is your garden missing something? You might want to incorporate some garden art into it. Make a statement can bring everything together creating a conversation whether it is a fountain, gazing globe, or a homemade, personal item. I place something in one of the holes that were created by something that winterkilled.

If you want to add the sound of water in the garden, try a fountain or pond. This can vary from a small bubbling fountain to a large pond with a spray or waterfall.

Different types of plant containers are a cheap way of adding interest. If you have a fence, try window boxes. A simple galvanized container with plants and a small sculpture adds interest.

If you are doing DIYer, try old wagon wheels, antiques, and recycled objects. If you are crafty, try mosaic steppingstones and something made out of old tools or chicken wire. I have seen an old bedframe with climbing plants growing on it adding a focal point. I also like seeing an old window or door without glass seeing through the other side. Your imagination is your only limiting factor.

Sculptural pieces like rocks, statues, or concrete planting containers will give your garden a look of permanence.

Night lighting gives interest in the night. By lighting, a weeping tree will give a dramatic effect. By using different colors of light will take your eye from one place to another.

Do not forget about movement and sounds in the garden by using wind chimes and spinners. Stained glass brings colored light into a drab space.

Just stay away from that garden that has 20 different cheap, flashy, faded trinkets.

Just like shopping for plants, look for garden art that will complement your garden. Also, let it reflect your personality.

Tree and evergreen pests

Browning of Needles in Pine Trees

People are noticing a browning of needles in their pine trees. If these needles are behind last season’s growth, do not panic, it is natural needle cast.

If the browning is affecting last year’s growth and we can rule out winterkill, there are several disease issues caused by fungi.

The first one is brown spot blight. This disease usually starts turning the needles brown throughout the year. Look closely and you will see small, brown, resin-soaked spots on the needles. The needle tip will turn brown and dies. A fungicide can protect unaffected needles containing copper or chlorothalonil when applied when the needles are half grown and again 3 to 4 weeks later.

Brown Spot Blight

The second cause could be Dothistroma needle blight. Reddish-brown spots or bands occur on the needle. The band will eventually girdle the needle causing it to die from the band to the tip. Young needles are resistant until later in the summer. Again, use a fungicide just before the buds break and again after the new needles have grown to their full length.

Dothistroma needle blight

The third cause is needle cast (Rhizosphaera) where the new needles are green, and the older needles are brown to purple. Look along the needle and you will see black bumps. The disease starts at the lower part of the tree and works its way up the tree. Needle cast affects spruces like Colorado, white, and Norway. Make a fungicide application when the new needles have grown to half of their length, a second 3 to 4 weeks later. Do not use chlorothalonil, as it is listed as a phytotoxin to spruce trees.

Needle Cast Disease