Yard & Garden Line News Volume 5 Number 4                                                               April 1, 2003

Features this issue: Controlling Buckthorn Timely Tips for Early Spring The Unreasonable Plant (and the Realistic Pathologist Who Loves Them) Be on the Watch for Emerald Ash Borer Fee Rises at Soil Testing Tab Your Rye (grass may be) Toast, or Tales of the Winter and Your Lawn Demise of the Subnivean and Herbaceous Perennial Survival Editorial Notes

Controlling Buckthorn
Doug Courneya, Regional Extension Educator

Buckthorn--fruit and foliage. Photo credit: Doug Courneya

Buckthorn, an undesirable shrub that is invading our natural areas and displacing native plants, has received a lot of attention lately. In displacing the natural flora, buckthorn degrades wildlife habitat and prevents regeneration of desirable tree species that are the future's timber resource. Since it has very little wildlife value and no timber value, sites that are invaded with buckthorn offer little appeal to outdoor enthusiasts and no value in future marketable timber. Unfortunately, like most exotic species, buckthorn has been so successful at establishing itself and competing that it will never be eradicated. However control efforts can have very beneficial impacts in restoring more desirable species on selected sites. Following are some options that can be used in a variety of situations for managing this persistent pest.

Control for small sites:
Cutting and treating stumps: Trees can be cut off at a height a six inches or less from the ground. This can be effectively done with hand tools on small sites. These stumps should be treated with a herbicide containing Triclopyr or Glyphosate to prevent re-sprouting. These herbicides are available at local horticulture supply outlets. When using Triclopyr treat only the cut surface using an ultra low volume wand or wick applicator. When using Glyphosate treat the cut surface and the bark to the soil line. If only cutting a few stumps they can be covered with a tin can or black plastic to prevent re-sprouting.

Frill spray. Photo credit: Doug Courneya

Trees that are too large to be cut easily can be wounded (frilled) by chopping into the bark to expose some of the underlying wood. The same chemicals can be sprayed into the wounded area. The trees will die and can be left standing to create wildlife snags. Small seedlings can be pulled and will not re-sprout. If pulling is impractical, the foliage of seedlings can be sprayed with the same chemicals used for stump treatment after other plants have gone dormant in the fall. Glyphosate will kill all actively growing vegetation on which it is sprayed. Triclopyr will kill broadleaf plants and will not harm grass type plants. Treating after desirable plants have gone dormant reduces potential damage to them.

These treatments can be done any time of year but are less effective during spring sap flow. Fall and early winter offer great working conditions and effective control.

Seedlings will have to be controlled for two to three years after the initial control to exhaust the abundant seed source that is left behind. If the site is devoid of vegetation because of buckthorn competition a grass seed mixture of creeping red fescue and perennial rye grass can be seeded into the site. These are typically sold as shady lawn mixes at retail horticulture outlets.

Control for large sites:

Stump spraying. Photo credit: Doug Courneya

Removing buckthorn on large sites requires the use of machines for cutting purposes. This equipment may range from chain saws and brush cutters that can be carried to walk-behind brush cutters or even tractor-mounted brush cutters. The size of the site, terrain, size of the buckthorn and capital outlay that can be afforded for control purposes will dictate the level of mechanization that can be used.

Walk-behind and tractor-mounted brush cutting equipment have an advantage in that they mulch up the brush as they cut it. This avoids the need to drag and pile brush as is necessary with chainsaws and carry type brush cutters. Brush that is removed can be left piled, burned or chipped into mulch.

As was described with cut-stump treatments, the stumps should be treated with Triclopyr to prevent re-sprouting. An alternative is to allow re-growth followed by a foliar treatment the next growing season. Triclopyr is packaged for use on larger sites as Remedy, Garlon 4 or Crossbow in concentrated form. These products are an ester formulation and are mixed with diluent or kerosene for stump treatment. It is available as a ready to use product mixed with diluent with a tradename of Pathfinder for moderate sized sites. Triclopyr is also available as an amine formulation with a trade name of Garlon 3 which is mixed with water. These products are available from agriculture supply outlets.

Basal spray Photo credit: Doug Courneya

Garlon 4, Remedy, Crossbow and Pathfinder are ester formulations of Triclopyr and can also be used as a low volume basal spray. This application method uses Triclopyr ester mixed with diluent or kerosene applied directly to the bark of unwanted trees from the ground up about 12 - 15 inches. Trees treated in this fashion can be left standing or cut at a later date. An ultra low volume spray wand should be used to minimize herbicide use and reduce potential for non-target injury.

Follow-up control of seedlings that emerge after initial control efforts is also important on large sites. Ongoing monitoring and control of new seedlings that are brought into the site by birds will also be necessary. This follow-up control to maintain a site is much less expensive and labor intensive than initial control efforts.

Fire offers a long-term management option for suppressing buckthorn and other unwanted wood plants in grassland or savanna cover-types. If there is enough grass cover to create a hot fire, seedling trees and shrubs will be effectively controlled. Burning will need to be done every two to three years.

Many sites may require replanting of desirable tree, shrub and herbaceous species. Replanting can be done with seedlings or by collecting and sowing seeds of the desired species to augment natural regeneration.

Reference to chemical brand names in this column does not imply endorsement of those products. The herbicides listed in this article may be available under other brand names with the same active ingredient that are equally effective.

Timely Tips for Early Spring
Deborah Brown, Extension Horticulturist

Fern bath. Photo credit: Deb Brown

It won't be long before we're outdoors gardening in earnest, but until then here are a few early spring tips and reminders to keep in mind.

Indoors: Houseplants
People's houseplants often suffer from a distinct lack of interest, and experience only minimum care once the outdoor gardening season is in full swing. This might be your last good opportunity to do something nice for your houseplants for quite a while. What do they need now? Dinner and a nice lukewarm bath!

Days grow dramatically longer towards the end of March, resulting in hours of additional light available for photosynthesis. Houseplants begin to grow more actively, so they need fertilizer every few weeks. To be on the safe side, mix your fertilizer one-half the label-recommended strength. You can always fertilize again, but once you see the rusty brown leaf tips and margins that indicate over-fertilizing, there's no way to undo the damage.

What's the bath about? Winter is particularly hard on indoor plants. Forced air furnaces blow dust around. Minute amounts of ash from fireplaces and sooty residue from holiday candles can also coat the leaf surface of some of your houseplants. Clean them by wiping larger leaves individually with a soft, moist cloth – top and bottom.

For plants with lots of tiny leaves, seal the soil surface with tinfoil, then swish the plant upside-down in a sink or laundry tub of lukewarm water to which you've added a few drops of mild dishwashing soap. (You don't want suds, but just enough to make the water a little slippery.) Not only will your plants look better, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you probably got rid of any lurking insects or insect eggs.

Indoors: Seedlings

Starting seeds. Photo credit: National Garden Bureau

Check young seedlings to see if they're outgrowing their small containers. Your goal should be to keep them expanding at a steady rate – they'll slow down when stuck in a container that's too small to accommodate good root growth. Once that happens, they're more sluggish and slower to "take off" in the garden, and they're likely to be somewhat less productive over the long haul.

If you used one of the potting soils that already contains time-released fertilizer, there's no need "feed" the seedlings. But if you used a standard potting soil, you should begin fertilizing them with a very mild (about 1/4 strength) liquid fertilizer once they have several sets of true leaves. Transplant seedlings by scooping your fingers under their roots and holding them by the leaves. Grabbing the stem can squeeze and damage it, even though you're trying to be careful.

If you haven't started any seeds, but reading this is giving you the urge, remember you can plant tomato seeds only six to eight weeks before it's warm enough to set them outdoors. There's still plenty of time! That goes for lots of flowering annuals, as well.

Outdoors: Pruning
First, an important warning: Do not prune or intentionally wound any oak tree during the months of April, May, or June. To do so leaves them more vulnerable to the deadly oak wilt fungus. Wait until later in summer to prune them, or have it done in winter when they're dormant. Avoid pruning elms, too, if possible. The scent of freshly cut wood is thought to attract elm bark beetles that spread Dutch elm disease fungal spores inadvertently as they feed.

Do prune fruit trees now, before we get very far into April. They need to be thinned out so light penetrates the canopy and a strong horizontal branch pattern is maintained. If the trees are dwarf specimens, or they're still young, by all means prune them yourself. But if they've gotten large, it's really a job for a professional arborist, the same as oaks and elms.

What about shrubs? You may shape hedges or prune any shrubs that you grow primarily for their foliage rather than flowers. It's too soon to tell if our unusual winter has taken a toll on lilacs, azaleas, forsythias, and other spring-flowering shrubs, though. You may as well think positive, and hold off pruning any of those plants until after they're through blooming. You surely don't want to prune off any flower buds when there's a chance they'll bloom well.

Wait to prune evergreen shrubs also. Even though we suspect there might be quite a bit of browning this spring, it's best to delay pruning until mid to late May. By then it will be easy to see where new growth is developing, and where brown area simply must be removed. Rather than prune extensively, it might be best to replace plants that appear badly "burned."

Outdoors: Lawns

Spring cleanup.

Early lawn care consists primarily of housekeeping chores. You need to rake up last year's leaves as soon as the soil is firm enough to walk on. And even before that, you should inspect the lawn for matted areas of snow mold – even though we doubt that will be much of a problem this year. If you see evidence of snow mold, use a light weight rake to break up the mats and allow improved air circulation to work its wonders. That's usually all that's needed.

Don't fertilize the lawn until it's growing actively, after you've had to mow it once or twice. If you fertilized last fall, it shouldn't be necessary to fertilize this spring – unless the lawn comes through winter in poor condition or it looks thin and you want to encourage it to thicken and spread.

And finally, even though you might have had a nasty infestation of crab grass last summer, don't fall prey to television ads prodding you to spread pre-emergence herbicides early in April. The ads are pitched at a national, or at least broadly regional audience. They're not made with Minnesota growing conditions in mind.

Ideally, the time to water pre-emergence herbicides – including natural corn gluten meal – into the ground is about two weeks before the weed seeds are set to sprout. Even in a year when spring is early, crabgrass rarely sprouts before mid-May in the Twin Cities, which means you need not apply these products until the very end of April or early May, depending on where you live.

The Unreasonable Plant (and the Realistic Pathologist Who Loves Them)
Janna Beckerman, Extension Plant Pathologist

This beebalm has moderate resistance. to powdery mildew. Photo credit:  Janna Beckerman

To paraphrase an old playwright, the reasonable plant adapts itself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to itself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable plant. Progress in horticulture also depends on the unreasonable breeder who works on developing varieties, these "unreasonable plants," that are resistant to certain diseases.

The term "disease resistance" evokes a common misperception that the plant is able to completely fight off disease. Many people believe that this resistance is conferred against all diseases. This is incorrect. Disease resistance is limited to specific diseases, although a given plant may have multiple resistances. The letters 'VFN' on a package of tomato seeds denotes resistance to the diseases Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt and root knot nematode. This tomato is still susceptible to early blight, late blight and a host of other diseases. Furthermore, high nematode levels and associated root injury due to nematode feeding provides an infection court for Verticillium and Fusarium fungi, and can still result in these diseases! However, in most instances, a plant labeled 'VFN' will not become infected, or at least not seriously infected with those diseases.

In understanding what resistance is, it is important to remember that a resistant plant can become infected by the pathogen to which it is resistant (Fig. 1). However, the resistant plant is less likely to become seriously infected than a "susceptible" counterpart (Fig. 2). This plant will more likely perform better, maintain an attractive appearance and require fewer chemical inputs than a susceptible counterpart. For this reason, disease resistance is considered one of the great agricultural discoveries, one that has been underutilized in our industry and in home horticulture.

One reason for this underutilization is the amount of time it takes to develop a disease resistant cultivar. It takes approximately 15 years to develop a new wheat variety (and you can produce 2-3 generations per season!), and 18 years to develop a new potato variety. This difficulty in breeding for resistance has resulted in the propagation of plants that were discovered, but not intentionally bred, to be resistant to disease.

'Mahogany beebalm is severely susceptible to powdery mildew. Photo credit:  Janna Beckerman

The most famous example is the 2002 Perennial Plant of the Year, 'David,' that was found by volunteers at the Brandywine Conservancy, near Philadelphia. These phlox were grown from open pollinated seed collected in the Brandywine Valley's natural areas. Richard Simon (Bluemount Nurseries, Monkton, Maryland), and F.M. Mooberry (Horticultural Coordinator for The Brandywine Conservancy, Pennsylvania) inspected the Phlox panniculata collection and Simon suggested that one plant, with a white, fragrant form should be introduced because of its resistance to the powdery mildew that was seriously infecting the other phlox.

Regardless of the level of resistance (and remember, we are talking about resistance, not immunity) a cultivar is purported possess, host, pathogen and environment all interact in creating a disease triangle. Because of the complexities surrounding the disease triangle, it is not uncommon to see evaluations of daylily to rust to vary from a site in Florida to a site in Arkansas. In fact, the disease triangle explains these differences when one looks at environment (tropical Florida compared to subtropical or temperate Arkansas) or the pathogen (different races or populations). Similar trial differences have been noted in performance from plants grown in the Northeast to the same plants grown in the Midwest.

Our resistance story doesn't end there. In fact, there are already reports of severe powdery mildew infection on white phlox sold as the 'David' cultivar. It may be years before we find out what exactly happened with Phlox 'David.' In the meantime, consider Phlox 'Laura' or cultivar 'Starfire.' And consider enrolling in the University of Minnesota's Plant Research and Evaluation Program (PREP) where we will be conducting experimental trials using numerous cultivars purported to have resistance to many of our best diseases!

For additional information on our Herbaceous Ornamental Resistance Trial (HORT): http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/PlantPathWeb/HORT.html

Be on the Watch for Emerald Ash Borer
Jeff Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist

Emerald ash borer Photo credits: USDA Forest Service.

There is a new exotic insect in the United States, the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis. So far, it has only been found in southeast Michigan. It was first detected in May 2002 although there is reason to believe that the insect could have been in that state for as long as five years.

This borer belongs to the metallic wood boring beetle group (family Buprestidae). It is closely related to other metallic wood boring beetles in Minnesota including the bronze birch borer, Agrilus anxius and the twolined chestnut borer, Agrilus bilineatus. Emerald ash borer is a little larger and brighter than these species. These slender beetles range in size from about 1/3 inch to about 1/2 inch long and are a bright iridescent coppery green.

This beetle is a native of Asia with its natural range including northeast China, Japan, Mongolia, Korea, the Russian Far East, and Taiwan. The only know hosts of this borer is ash (Fraxinus spp.). In the United States, the emerald ash borer has been found attacking green ash, white ash, and black ash.

The biology of this borer is not understood very well but in southern Michigan it is believed to have a one year life cycle. It is possible that could be extended to two years in colder climates. Adults begin to emerge in mid to late May and continues until late June. Peak emergence occurs in early to mid June. Females lay eggs on the surface of the bark or in small cracks in the bark.

Eggs hatch in 7 to 10 days. The whitish flathead borers tunnel into the cambial layer and create a series of winding criss crossing galleries under the bark in the phloem and outer sapwood. They feed until fall then overwinter as fully grown larvae. They pupate the following spring and adults emerge in May and June.

Emerald ash borer damage. Photo credits: USDA Forest Service.

When trees are first attacked by emerald ash borer, the symptoms are inconspicuous and not seen. Larvae generally attack the upper trunk the first year but later can be found throughout the trunk. The following year when adults emerge, they create small D-shaped exit holes which may be noticed but are hard to see. By the end of the second year, thinning foliage and dieback in the crown begins to be apparent. Epicormic sprouts may also form on the trunk and some major branches. Vertical splits in the bark, due to callous tissue forming over old galleries may also be seen. If you remove bark on the trunk, you may find larval galleries. By the third year, there is severe dieback and little foliage. Trees typically are killed in three years.

Emerald ash borer can attack ash of different sizes from as small as 5 cm (2 inch) diameter to mature trees. They commonly attacks stressed and unhealthy trees, like the native bronze birch borer and twolined chestnut borer. However, unlike these insects, emerald ash borer apparently will also attack vigorously growing trees.

Emerald ash borer has not been found in Minnesota to date although it most likely would do well if it is introduced here. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is very interested to determine whether the emerald ash borer is present in Minnesota. Remember that this insect will attack all ash native to Minnesota. If you encounter any ash that have unexplained dieback or other symptoms of emerald ash borer or has mysteriously died recently, call the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Arrest the Pests Hotline at 651-296-MOTH (6684) or 1-888–545-MOTH (6684) to report it.

For more information see the USDA Forest Service Emerald Ash Borer home page: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/eab/
Get the low down on this month's insect pests at Insects http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/EntWeb/Ent.htm

Fee Rises at Soil Testing Lab Effective March 1, the fee for the homeowner lawn or garden soil test rose from $10 to $12.50. Nothing else has changed on the form so if you have an old form, feel free to use it, just send $12.50 instead of $10 with the sample. Commercial and agricultural fees have also risen. Questions? Call the Soil Testing Lab at 612-625-3101.

Your Rye (grass may be) Toast, or Tales of the Winter and Your Lawn
Bob Mugaas, Regional Extension Educator - Horticulture

Winters never seem to be very predictable in Minnesota and this year was no exception. While most of use appreciated the lack of snow at least for purposes of getting around, our plant world would generally prefer otherwise.

One of the questions we began getting earlier in the year was 'How does this lack of snow cover impact our lawns?' It is usually dangerous to speculate on how the winter menu of Mother Nature's offerings will impact our plants. However, with respect to our lawns, most indications are that they have survived just fine with the one possible exception of perennial ryegrass. Back in late January, samples were taken from Twin Cities' areas that had been predominantly populated by perennial ryegrass and had essentially no snow cover for most of the winter. From those samples, there was very poor to no survival of the perennial ryes. However, it is hard to know how widespread this injury is and how much actual mortality we will see given the almost infinite variety of environmental conditions associated with lawn areas. For those of you with newly seeded areas that have a fair amount of perennial ryegrass in the mix, you may want to pay close attention to those areas and, if needed, be ready to do some reseeding early this spring.

One item that has generally been observed is the significant loss of green tissue in the overwintering grass blades. With our lawn grasses fully exposed to the sunny conditions of winter but stuck in a frozen soil environment, most of the chlorophyll in the leaves is destroyed leaving the remaining lawn area a rather uniformly straw brown color. For the well-adapted Kentucky bluegrasses and fine leaved fescues, this usually doesn't pose a serious problem other than it may take a little longer to green up, as more of the plant's food reserves will be needed to initiate growth this spring.

With the lack of snow cover in the Twin Cities area, our snow mold fungi have had little chance to get established and grow, especially in home lawn conditions. That's good news as the last couple of years have been quite severe due to the slow melting of the snow pack in late winter and early spring.

While raking lawns is not necessarily a requirement, it is often helpful to remove debris and dead plant tissue from the lawn surface. The lifting up of matted down grass tissue helps get sunlight to the soil, warming it a little faster and encouraging that new growth of spring. However, it is always a good practice to stay off the lawn until it has firmed up and dried out. This will help prevent destruction of the soil structure that is responsible for good soil air exchange and water infiltration from rains and irrigation. In addition, plants are much easier to damage or even pull out of the ground in moist soil conditions. Again, let the soils dry out and firm up before attempting much spring lawn work.

Demise of the Subnivean and Herbaceous Perennial Survival
Neil Anderson, Dept. of Horticultural Science

Daffodils. Photo credit:  Beth Jarvis

As the snow, i.e. niveus, melted this spring (which mainly happened in mid-March) many have asked regarding the disposition of their herbaceous perennials. Will they survive? What about all of my borderline hardy materials that I planted to feed my "zone envy"? Is there any hope?

Well, don't despair....not all green shoots have emerged above the soil line! Don't pull out the rototiller just yet. Those early crocus, tulips, and daffodils are just emerging to give you tangible spring fever. It is early for other perennials to emerge, for heaven's sake, its only April. You've plenty of time to fret with wonderment about the survival of your herbaceous perennials.

Let's review the history of this past winter (2002-2003). It was a tough winter by anyone's standards for plant survival, while it was easy on the heating bills. We had little, if any, precipitation early in the winter (November into January). The temperatures were above normal as well-frequently going below freezing at night and rising above 32°F during the day. This provided us with ideal frost heaving potential-an unusual phenomenon early in the winter (usually frost heaving occurs in the winter/spring transition period). Plus, it was also very dry; moisture was low at the soil surface. Not having your garden hose hooked up at that time may have caused a couple of sleepless months, but it was the pre-holiday season after all! Then, later in January we had some cold weather prior to having any significant snowfall. Remember the night the thermometer went as low as -12°F?! This cold snap helped to drive the frost further down into the soil than is usual; numerous reports started to surface (particularly in new housing subdivisions) in February that septic systems were freezing, water pipes were breaking, etc. Then, finally, we received some late winter snow! Many expressed gratitude that finally we had some insulation added for plant protection, although it was rather late.

This not-so-rosy winter history has left many scratching their heads about what this means for winter survival. A colleague of mine brought this to my attention during this past winter. He belabored the fact that during most of the winter we had been lacking a subnivean. I was puzzled and asked him what was meant by the term subnivean. He explained that it denotes the area between the soil line and the insulative snow (niveus) layer. In other words, the subnivean is important for proper survival of winter-hardy herbaceous perennials to protect the crown of a plant. What we have experienced in recent Minnesota winters is not encouraging for the survival or perpetuation of the subnivean! Our warmer-than-normal winters, lack of sufficient snowfall, and the additional factors this past winter have put an unusual strain on the health and survivability of herbaceous perennials.

For instance, all of those new or old herbaceous perennial favorites that we have tested and proven to be winter hardy in Minnesota (visit our herbaceous perennial test website, http://www.florifacts.umn.edu) require an insulative snow layer and the existence of the subnivean throughout the winter period. Winter hardiness classically denotes that a plant (its crown, rhizomes, root system or underground storage organs) can survive to a certain critical temperature provided, of course, that the insulating snow cover is adequate and continuous throughout the cold weather period.

Lupines. Photo credit:  Beth Jarvis

Typically, herbaceous perennials are winter hardy to temperatures much higher than those necessary for woody perennial survival of aboveground parts. The crowns and rhizomes of our winter-hardy chrysanthemums survive only to -12 to -18?C (10.4 to -0.4?F) whereas the stems and flower buds of hardy, woody perennials may survive down to -30?F or lower (since they are above the snow line and lack a subnivean, they must tolerate lower temperatures).

The likely victims of the lack of a subnivean during the winter will be those herbaceous perennials that were not protected. Most of our trials at the University of Minnesota are conducted under the "toughest" of conditions, i.e. no protective mulch layer, no snow fencing, or growing of the material in protected areas. If we have any survival in our trials, those perennials will be truly tough since they will have survived multiple frost heaving, desiccation, water and cold stress without a subnivean insulation barrier. I do not expect that any trial material will be in this category.

But, do not despair....the cash registers at your local perennial garden center are not ringing just yet. As a prudent and cautious home gardener, you have a much better chance of herbaceous perennial survival for several reasons. If you mulched in the fall, either surrounding the crowns or completely covering them, the mulch will have added an insulation layer, creating its own subnivean effect. Mulches help to retain soil moisture in the crown and/or root system and prevented much of the detrimental frost heaving. Added warmth from having your garden surrounded by buildings, tall trees or fences serving as wind breaks, being located near a lake, and/or protective microclimates may also have aided in ensuring perennial survival. There is no 100% guarantee, of course, that anything or everything survived. Time will provide the answers.

If your herbaceous perennials fail to emerge, only then is it time to pull out the tiller and begin relandscaping your perennial borders. Maybe it is time to add some fresh new material to your landscape to match your new patio furniture-at least that can be the official story for your gardening neighbors. I will breathe a sigh of relief, however, if I don't hear the sound of rototillers tilling up your perennial beds this spring because of winter kill. If you're not already in the habit of gardening with mulch and lost all of your perennials, effect change this year. Start mulching immediately in the spring as soon as those new perennials are planted. Mulch will also aid in weed control, keep the soil temperature cooler during the hot summer months, encourage water retention and reduced irrigation frequencies, as well as providing winter protection. We can live with the intentional replacement of perennials, just make sure that you also exercise preventative horticulture (mulching) in case we are again confronted with the demise of the subnivean next winter.

Editorial Notes

Clematis. Photo credit:  Beth Jarvis

For April 15, we'll hear from Gopher State One Call, the service that notifies your utility companies to mark where their buried lines run. It's state law, call before you dig!

For the first of May, I'm looking foreward to Tammi Mercer's article on wildlife and global warming. She says she's going to focus on birds.

Please feel free to cut and paste any of the articles for use in your own newsletters. All we ask is that you give our authors credit.

Back issues Yard & Garden Line News are on the Yard & Garden Line home page at www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/. Our home page has clickable links to most of the components of the Yard & Garden Line, such as Bell Museum of Natural History, Yard & Garden Clinic, INFO U and the Soil Testing Lab.

If you work for a garden center, tree service, lawn care company, landscaper or other company/organization that has not received our promotional mailing of point of sale material (padded tear off sheets that hang from a shelf bracket, brochures, posters and bookmarks, drop me an e-mail. But first, take a look at what's available at: http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/YGLpromos.html. Then, tell me what material you'd like and how many and I'll send it out. There's no charge, of course.

Deb Brown answers gardening questions on Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) "Midmorning" program on the first Friday of every month at 10 a.m. Katherine Lanpher hosts the program that is broadcast on KNOW 91.1 FM, and available state-wide on the MPR news radio stations.

If you have gardening questions, please call the Yard & Garden Line at (612) 624-4771.

If you would like to receive an e-mail reminder when the next issue of the Yard & Garden Line News is posted to the web, just send an e-mail to: listserv@lists.umn.edu (note: the second E in listserve is omitted), leave the subject line blank, then in the body of the message, type: sub yglnewslist or to unsubscribe, enter: unsub yglnewslist

Happy gardening!

Beth Jarvis
Yard & Garden Line Project Coordinator

The Yard & Garden Line, part of the University of Minnesota Extension Service, is a one (toll-free) phone number source for Minnesotans to call for help with many gardening, water quality and wildlife questions. Most of the services are free of charge.


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