By joenesgarden, 1 year and 4 months ago

Connecticut’s Barberry phase-out

Japanese barberry 4-29-10 The Connecticut Nursery and Landscape Association (CNLA) recently called for a voluntary ban of 25 cultivars of Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii). The parent species – in photo to the right - has overtaken much of Connecticut forestland and large stands of the thorny green woody shrub appear to act as optimal host areas for Lyme-disease carrying ticks. As reported by CNLA, the 3-year phase-out includes the 25 cultivars that are most prolific at seed production. Another 18 cultivars – those at the bottom 10% for seed production – are not included in this voluntary ban. Click here to read the full CNLA report and the list of banned and permitted barberry cultivars.

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By joenesgarden, 1 year and 5 months ago

Symposium on Managing Invasive Plants

Attention homeowners, landscape pros, gardeners, and anyone else interested in managing invasive plant species in Connecticut. Note the date listed below – October 14, 2010 – when the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group presents an all day symposium on managing invasive plants.

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By joenesgarden, 2 years and 5 months ago

Late blight marches on

August 11, 2009.  Late blight continues to rear its ugly head in Connecticut farms and gardens, according to a recent report in the Norwich Bulletin.  Because of the high risk of this windborne fungus spreading from location to location, I check my tomato plants daily. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station's Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology posted images of CT grown tomatoes with late blight.  For images of all types of tomato disease, visit Cornell University's Vegetable MD Online.

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