Yard & Garden Line News
Volume 6 Number 2                                                               February 1, 2004
Features this issue:
 Day in the Life at the Arboretum-April 30, 2003
My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose....
Western Conifer Seed Bugs
A Plant Pathology Valentine
Tree Care Advisor Training- St. Paul Sessions
Editorial Notes


A Day In the Life of the Arboretum--April 30, 2003
Peter C. Moe, Director of Operations

Pansies and tulips greet visitors. Photo credit Beth Jarvis
Veggies are planted in the Home Demonstration Garden Photo credit Don Breneman
Volunteers plant annual displays Photo credit
Duane Otto
The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is located in Chanhassen, about 30 miles west of the Twin Cities Campus. The Arboretum encompasses 1,040 acres that includes 260 acres of research plantings; an equal amount of land used for plant collections, display gardens and model landscapes; and several hundred acres of native woods and wetlands filling in the rest. A staff that grows from 12 people in January to 50 by early summer maintains all of this area. This crew still could not do a good job of getting everything done without the help of several hundred dedicated volunteers.

The outdoor gardening season extends year around at the Arboretum with the winter months being devoted to pruning trees and shrubs in the gardens, plant collections and research plots; and controlling buckthorn in the woods and fields. Pruning continues into April but as soon as the snow has melted and the ground is thawed, many other activities begin. Everything is in full swing by April 30th and that day is described in detail below:

Home Demonstration Garden

Gardeners and volunteers are busy laying out the main vegetable bed - planting cool season vegetable plants such as lettuce and cole crops and sowing radish, beet and carrot seed. After that is finished, they plant bare root perennials in the Naturalistic Garden, Garden for Outdoor Living and Perennial Cutting Gardens. The new perennials are replacements for plants that didn't make it through the winter or are part of a continuing program to display the best new perennials for Minnesota.

Display Gardens

The gardening staff and volunteers are working hard amending the Speigel Garden's clay soil with peat moss and composted manure from the St. Paul Campus barns and planting perennials. They replace more perennials that did not survive the open winter and replant areas near where a new loading dock and staff parking was built. Visitors to the Arboretum know that there has been lots of construction as new facilities and buildings are being added, and that creates many opportunities for new plantings.

Elsewhere in the Sensory Garden, herbaceous display gardens and other perennial plant collections other crews are planting perennials, bare root trees and shrubs and getting gardens ready for planting annuals.

Native Plant Collections

The native plant collection crew traveled to Blue Earth County to rescue wildflowers. The woods we are working in will be developed in 6 to 8 years. One of the treasurers we find is the Snow Trillium , Trillium nivale . Others we find are bloodroot, false solomon's seal, white trout lily, dutchman's-breeches and sharp-lobed hepatica. All of these plants are moved to a new home in the Grace B. Dayton Woodland Wildflower Garden or other native woodlands in the Arboretum.

Volunteers dig Mertensia for relocation. Photo credit;
Richard Gjertson
Spring Peeper Meadow

Another native plant crew is salvaging wetland plants and planting them in the Spring Peeper Sedge Meadow Restoration area on the southeast corner of the Arboretum property. When finished they take down the orange snow fence that kept snowmobiles out and pick up litter that accumulated in the tall grasses and wildflowers over the winter.

A more interesting job that afternoon is surveying birds and amphibians. Wetland restoration success is partially measured by recording how many animal species that might have been found here in pre-settlement days return to the newly hospitable environment. There are organizations where you can do surveys like this as a volunteer.

Lastly, the wetland crew checks on the burning permit and equipment needed to do a prescribed burn in the near future. Burning is another important management tool that encourages growth of the native wet prairie species and inhibits cool season, exotic weeds and invasive woody plants.

Mechanic Shop

By April 30 most of the equipment is already in daily use and some already needs repair but the big job is to finish all of the annual maintenance on the commercial mowers that will begin another mowing season in early May. The annual maintenance includes a series of fluid and filter changes, numerous checks and adjustments and concludes with sharpening the mower blades.

Another mechanic is in the process of checking out the irrigation pumping stations and checking the inventory of pipe repair parts, solenoid valve parts, sprinkler heads and everything else that is needed to keep the irrigation systems going all summer.

Curator and Plant Records Staff

Bare root and containerized trees and shrubs have been delivered and accessioned and all of the planting locations staked. Hosta to be dug for the upcoming weekend's Hosta Sale are flagged. A shipment of perennials arrives and each plant needs to be accessioned. A busy day concludes with meeting a local landscape architect to discuss final planting designs for the Wildlife Garden

Another plant record person is carrying his labeling tools (pliers, some wire, label stakes, clipboard with set of detail maps of gardens) and checking if crocus, snowdrops, narcissus, tulips and hyacinths have survived the winter. He also straightens bent labels and notes labels that need to be replaced.

Tree and Shrub Collections

The planting crew is close behind the curator carefully digging holes that are just the right depth for the new trees and shrubs. The new trees and shrubs are planted and watered and woodchip mulch is applied. These new additions are placed on a special list and given extra water, deer protection and watched for other problems until they are well established.

Spring clean-up to clear mulch.
Photo credit
Duane Otto
Twinleaf, one of the spring wild flowers to learn Photo credit
Beth Jarvis
Horticultural Research Center

Everything is done on a large scale in the Arboretum's research areas and the crew working on the fruit-breeding project spends the entire day planting apple seedlings in one of the large seedling blocks. These are the small trees grown from the crosses made in spring 2001. The seedlings had been started in the greenhouse and grown in containers during the 2002 growing season. We never know for sure but one of these trees may turn out to be as good an apple as 'Honeycrisp' or 'Zestar!' and it might be named and apples available for sale 15 years from now!

Another crew is trying to complete pruning 8 acres of research grape vineyards before the vines start to bud out. If the grapes are pruned late in the spring they will bleed but more importantly it is difficult to remove the canes that are pruned out without breaking off the new shoots on the remaining fruiting canes. The research vineyards are primarily used to evaluate grapes for wine but some of the rows contain some very promising seedless table grapes. Before any grape is named it has to be hardy enough to survive most winters without protection, have pest resistance and be a high quality wine or table grape.

The landscape plant research crew are planting birches, viburnums and dogwoods in one of the long-term evaluation plantings and following up with watering and mulching. Some of these plants are grown from seed collected on plant exploration trips to far-away areas with climates similar to ours such as Kazakstan or Russia. Midway through this task one person switched to help to install shade cloth over a hoop-house and help with sorting container plant populations in the greenhouse and propagation area. Later another crewmember started hauling woodchip mulch to the field that will soon be planted in shrub rose seedlings. The shrub rose breeding project is making good progress and several roses may be introduced in coming years. Another area is prepared for planting by pushing out some discarded plants with a skid loader, smoothing the soil and marking the rows for the new planting.

At the end of the day all crews head back to the maintenance shops, put away tools, park equipmentand lastly; return calls, check e-mails and fill out the record sheets that track where everyone spends their time.

Although the gardens and hardy plant research are what the Arboretum is best known for, many other activities take place every day, as well. On April 30th, one of our adult classes, Woodland Wildflowers, was taking place and students were learning some botanical Latin and how to identify some of Minnesota's native wildflowers. The Arboretum has a large youth education program and four first grade classes are here for the Ready, Set, Grow! class and field trip where they will find out how planting trees, shrubs and flowers can make a place "wildlife friendly". Every student takes home a tree seedling.

Other staff are helping artist, Dave Rogers, install his giant Big Bugs sculptures in the gardens, stocking the Bug Boutique in the gift shop, and finishing set-up of the orientation tent, garden eatery and signs for the upcoming 5 month exhibit. Many other behind the scene jobs such as, lining up additional volunteer tour guides and sending out press releases are going on at the same time.

The Arboretum does receive funding from the University but is also heavily dependent on earned income, memberships, donations, memorials and estate gifts to cover operating costs. Staff are entering new and renewing memberships ( 17,000 total members), sending out thank you letters for donations, collecting class fees, writing grant proposals and doing many other activities that are essential to keep the Arboretum growing.

Visit the Arboretum's website at: http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/

My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose....
Deborah Brown, Extension Horticulturist

Red roses. Photo credit Dave Hansen
With Valentine's Day right around the corner, there's probably no need to remind you that red roses symbolize love. That knowledge is part of our national psyche. People who couldn't tell a daisy from a delphinium are fully aware of red roses... and their connection to "matters of the heart." We even introduce the concept to our young children. (Think of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," with its enchanted rose, or the fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red.)

Revered throughout the western world, the rose is the ultimate flower, a symbol not only of love, but of beauty and perfection. No wonder it's so popular this time of year.

There are any number of alternatives to roses for Valentine's giving, but regardless of how fragrant the carnations, how colorful the mixed bouquet, or how elegant the orchids, roses remain the "gold standard" of love and romance in the floral world. I've never met anyone, man or woman, who didn't enjoy a special gift of roses!

Good as Gold, and Priced Accordingly

Roses are at a premium this time of year. But their price simply reflects the law of supply and demand in the marketplace.... and before Valentine's Day, that demand is overwhelming.

One painless way you can save money shopping for roses is to forego premium-priced long-stemmed roses in favor or equally beautiful and useful medium or shorter stemmed roses. It's unusual to see a vase tall enough to actually accommodate long-stemmed roses; the first thing a person usually does when receiving such roses is cut several inches off the stems in order to arrange them. Why pay for those extra inches that will be discarded anyway?

Another way to save money is to order ahead, and plan for delivery a day or two prior to the holiday. Some florists offer a discounted price in order to spread delivery over several days and take some pressure off the 14th. Since you can expect fresh roses to last from five to seven days, they should still be lovely on Valentine's Day. In fact, they will have opened more, and may be even prettier than when they were first delivered.

If it looks as though a dozen roses will "break the bank," consider giving five or six, instead. Accompanied by babysbreath and delicate fern foliage, they will still be a luxurious gift. In fact, when it comes to elegance, nothing beats one perfect rose nestled with a little greenery in a simple bud vase.

Color Counts

'Whisper'-a white rose Photo credit AARS
No doubt red is the most sought after color for Valentine's Day, but in the language of flowers, other colors may seem more appropriate.... and equally lovely. White roses, for instance, are said to symbolize innocence, reverence, and purity while yellow roses symbolize joy and friendship. Light pink is associated with grace, while dark pink, thankfulness and appreciation.

Lavender roses symbolize enchantment and love at first sight, but watch out for those coral and orange roses. Their secret message: desire!

Though some roses smell wonderful, often florist's roses are only mildly fragrant. Should you detect a faint scent when they're in the cooler, you might find it more noticeable after the roses have been arranged and allowed to reach room temperature. If fragrance is a high priority, look for lavender blooms. Though not as large as some roses, they more than make up for it with their heavenly perfume.

Helping Roses Last Longer

You don't need to be a rocket scientist -- or even a dedicated horticulturist -- to get the most out of cut roses. Follow these guidelines to keep roses looking good for the longest possible period of time, then when they fade, don't feel too bad. Their ephemeral beauty is part of why they're so precious.

* Your vase must be immaculately clean. Use a bottle brush to scrub the inside, or fill it with water and drop a foaming denture cleaner in it overnight to remove dried residue before you put fresh roses in it.

* Dissolve the enclosed packet of floral preservative in lukewarm water, or add drops of liquid cutflower food, according to directions. Pennies, aspirin, and other "home remedies" are of little or no value.

* Strip off any foliage that will be under water in the vase. Those leaves break down rapidly, fouling the water. Remove broken leaves, also.

* Recut each stem at an angle, to prevent its resting squarely on the bottom of the vase. Use a sharp knife, (scissors compress the stems) and hold the stem under a gentle stream of lukewarm water as you cut it.

* Place your roses in a relatively cool location, out of direct sunlight. The cooler you are able to keep them, the longer they'll last, provided they're not exposed to freezing temperatures. Avoid locations by radiators, forced air ducts, or heat producing lights.

If a rose begins to "nod" or bend over prematurely, you may be able to squeeze a few more good days out of it by recutting the stem and submerging the whole rose, horizontally, in slightly warm water for several hours. Once its stem straightens out, remove the rose and put it back into its vase.

Western Conifer Seed Bugs
Jeff Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist

Western Conifer Seed
Bugs Photo credit: Entomology Dept.
U of MN
People may occasionally see a large, unknown insect in their home during winter. They could be looking at a western conifer seed bug. This insect is about 3/4 inch long and has a stout reddish brown body with white markings. Underneath the wings, the abdomen is orange with black bars or stripes. When the wings are at rest, they form an ‘X' across its back.

Like other true bugs, a western conifer seed bug has slender needle-like mouthparts. It also has large back legs which reminds some people of a grasshopper. Despite this, they do not jump. You can verify a western conifer seed bug by the presence of an expanded, leaf-like structure on each of its back legs. Appropriately, this insect belongs to the family of leaf-footed bugs.

The western conifer seed bug is a relatively new insect to Minnesota, being first found around 1985. During the summer, this insect feeds on sap from the green cones and needles of different pine species as well as Douglas-fir trees. This feeding is not known to injure landscape plantings in the Midwest.

The immature nymphs develop into adults sometime during August. During fall, these bugs search for protected sites to spend the winter and some inevitably end up in homes in walls, attics, and other nooks and crannies. These bugs are only able to go dormant if their hiding places are exposed to the cold. As long as these overwintering sites stay cold, western conifer seed bugs remain inactive until spring.

However, if their hiding places are warmed up during winter, e.g. due to mild, sunny weather or from a heating source in the building, they will ‘wake up' and move to inside areas of the home. Western conifer seeds bugs move slowly and are readily seen during the day. They are sometimes confused with cockroaches but these insects move quickly and are generally not seen when it is light (or if they are seen during the day they are scurrying for cover).

Fortunately, western conifer seed bugs are harmless to people and do not attack our food or damage our property. They are just a nuisance by their presence. In fact, residents generally don't see more than a couple of these insects at a time which makes it a lot easier to tolerate and control them. Keep in mind that western conifer seeds bugs do not lay eggs indoors -- any that you see in the winter came into the home last fall.

The best and only necessary control of western conifer seeds bugs is to physically remove them when the are first noticed. Use a vacuum or just wrap them in tissue and throw them into the garbage. Insecticides are not necessary because of their harmless nature and the small number of insects involved.

Get the low down on this month's insect pests at Insects http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/EntWeb/Ent.htm


A Plant Pathology Valentine
Janna Beckerman, Extension Plant Pathologist

A healthy rose.
All Photos::
Janna Beckerman
Black spot of roses produces a characteristic black spot, as the name suggests. Severe infections can result in defoliation of the plant.
Key signs of rust infections are the orange pustules. Nitrogen deficiency predisposed this rose to rust infection.
Anthracnose is a major rose disease in Minnesota.
Downy mildew causes cultivar specific symptoms and is often difficult to diagnose.
Virus symptoms produce variegation in the foliage of an infected plant.
Roses and Valentine's Day-the two are practically synonymous. For centuries, roses have denoted love. However, people aren't the only ones who love roses-Roses are hosts to numerous disease problems that regularly challenge plant pathologists. Imagine the face of a person opening up a bouquet of roses with botrytis blight, or powdery mildew? Valentine's Day is a great reason to go over the most common rose diseases, and to arm with yourself with some knowledge before you start ordering plants from your catalogs. Remember: The hybrid tea roses that are used in cut flower production are not hardy in Minnesota without the benefit of the Minnesota Tip Method!

Major Diseases of Roses
Black Spot (Causal Agent: Diplocarpon rosae).
Symptoms: Circular black spots develop on leaves' upper surface and range from 1/16 inch to 1/2 inch in diameter. These spots are frequently surrounded by a yellow halo. Infected leaves turn yellow and fall prematurely. The disease can cause almost complete defoliation of bushes by early fall, or earlier if weather is particularly wet. This leaf spot can be distinguished from others by the fringed margin and consistently black color. Reduced flowering, coupled with pale flower color may result from severe or frequent infection. Recurrent defoliation produces a weakened bush that can be killed if winter injury becomes severe.

Disease Cycle: Black spot is spread by splashing water. Infection occurs after leaves are wet for several hours. Excessive rainfall can result in epidemics of the disease. The fungus overwinters in infected canes, buds and thorns, as well as fallen leaves.

Powdery Mildew (Causal Agent: Sphaerotheca pannos).
Symptoms and Signs: Leaves, buds, and stems are covered with a white powdery coating. This disease can cause young leaves to curl and turn purple. Young canes may be distorted and dwarfed. If seriously infected, they can die. Badly infected buds do not open.

Disease Cycle: The white powdery growth on the leaf surface is composed of thousands of fungal spores. Wind carries these spores to young leaves, causing more infection. Mildew develops rapidly during warm, humid weather and on shade grown plants.

Rust (Causal Agent: Phragmidium spp).
Symptoms and Signs: Symptoms first appear on the undersides of leaves as bright orange spots that develop into powdery pustules. As these pustules develop, yellow to orange colored spots become visible on the upper leaf surface. Young stems and sepals may also become infected, causing curling and distortion of plant tissue. Eventually, the fungus produces reproductive structures called uredinia, which appear on the leaves and canes as reddish-orange pustules. The fungus, unlike most other rusts, completes its entire life cycle and can survive the winter on roses.

Disease Cycle: In the spring, spores are produced on infected debris and wind blown to healthy plants, where they cause new infections.

Anthracnose (Causal Organism: Sphaceloma rosarum)
SYMPTOMS: Initially, the developing leaf spots are small and black, which makes them easily confused with black spot. As lesion development progresses, the spots become purple to brown, to light brown or tan with a red or purple margin (see Fig. 4). Stems, hips and pedicles can become infected. A shot-hole effect may occur (the spot itself drops out of the leaf leaving a circular hole). Defoliation may occur if the disease is severe.
Signs: As lesions mature, small black fruiting bodies will appear in the papery, tan centers.

DISEASE CYCLE: Like other anthracnose disease, rose anthracnose appears to be more prevalent during wet springs. The fungus over winters in old lesions on leaves and canes. Little is known about the sexual state of this fungus.

Downy mildew (Causal Agent: Peronospora sparsa)
Downy mildew is not related to powdery mildew and does not cause the same symptoms. Symptoms. This disease is usually first recognized by lesions on the leaves, stems, and flowers. Leaf lesions can appear as simple chlorotic splotches, purplish to brown blotches, or necrotic flecking suggestive of chemical injury or possibly nutrient stress. Severe defoliation may occur as a result of infection.

Signs: The downy mildew fungus forms a downy mass of spores on the underside of leaf lesions. This growth is difficult to see without a hand lens or microscope. Spores form more readily in cool, humid conditions. Once conditions turn warm and dry, the disease is kept in check until the next cool, humid period.

Rose Mosaic (Causal agent: Several different viruses)

The disease is not known to spread naturally and has no known insect vector; Others indicate it may spread very slowly over many years. Grafting of infected stock can transfer virus to healthy plants. Viruses can be in the rootstock or scion or both and may not show symptoms.

Symptoms: Symptoms are best observed in spring, but symptom development can occur throughout the growing season. Characteristic symptoms include mosaics, chlorotic lines, ringspots, and mottles in leaves. There may also be yellow net and yellow mosaic symptoms. Flower distortion, reduction in flower production, flower size, stem caliper at the graft union, winter survival, and early leaf drop, and increase susceptibility to cold injury have all been reported. Some infected cultivars may not show any symptoms at all.

Managing Rose Disease

Start with disease-resistant varieties. Most roses are very susceptible to some fungal diseases, others have been resistant for decades, and most fall somewhere in-between. Selection of disease resistant cultivars minimizes the possibility of infection in most years, and minimizes the impact of disease should it develop.

The right plant for the right site. Even the most disease resistant rose will succumb to disease if planted in the wrong site. Most roses prefer to be planted in full sun, with no less than four hours of sunlight per day. Soil should be rich in organic matter and well-drained. Plants grown in shade are more susceptible to powdery mildew. Plants grown on dry sites are more susceptible to rust. Space plants about 3 feet apart to allow good air circulation--Densely planted roses are prone to foliar disease problems like black spot, anthracnose or downy mildew. Remember to mulch roots in summer to help maintain soil moisture and to prevent competition from weeds. If you haven't previously, have a soil test done to see if any nutrients are lacking.

Water the roots -not the foliage. The root zone for a rose may be as deep as 18 inches and as wide as the crown of the plant. Keep the soil around roses moist, but not soggy. Remember to water the roots and not leaves. Wet leaves are conducive to the growth of the fungi that cause black spot, anthracnose and downy mildew.

Fertilize appropriately. Although rose plants are heavy feeders, overfeeding roses has the potential to cause greater disease problems than underfeeding. The fertilizer elements most likely to be needed in rose beds are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). If you haven't had your soil tested, do so. Until then, apply a complete fertilizer, like 10-10-10. Apply fertilizer to beds at the rate of three pounds per 100 square feet--This is approximately one-quarter cup of dry fertilizer per plant. Spread the fertilizer evenly around the plant. Scratch it into the soil's surface and water deeply. Begin applying fertilizer in May when new growth first appears, but until after the danger of severe freezing is past. Fertilize a second time when the first flower buds set. Apply a final fertilizer in mid-July. Do not fertilize roses after mid-August. Late season fertilization may cause the rose to keep on growing. This could delay hardening in the fall and lead to winter injury.

Properly prune your roses. Remove all dead wood. If need be, cut back the taller canes to maintain the planting at a uniform height. When you prune a cane, cut about 1/4 inch above an outgrowing leaf bud at about a 45 degree angle. Cutting at that point helps insure that the plant will be well shaped and minimizes cane dieback from the pruning wound.

Scout! Although roses are grown for their flowers, it is the health of the leaves that you need to concern yourself with. Regularly examine your plants and check leaves for symptoms and signs of disease. Upon identification of disease, properly remove affected leaves, identify the problem in question and apply a preventive spray if needed. As always, follow the product label.

Correctly identify disease and insect problems. Incorrect diagnosis can result in the application of fungicides, or insecticides that have no affect on the problem. This handout is designed to assist you in the more common disease problems. For a more comprehensive treatise on rose diseases and diagnosis, read The Compendium of Rose Diseases by R. K. Horst.

Fall Clean-Up. Removing fallen leaves in autumn will reduce, but not eliminate, disease problems for next year. If disease was a problem, now is the time to apply a dormant spray like lime-sulfur to reduce any overwintering spores. In early spring, prune plants to remove winter-damaged growth, and apply a dormant horticultural oil to further reduce pathogens that may have overwintered on canes.

Please check out the new diagnostics web pages at
http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/diagnostics/


Tree Care Advisor Training - St.. Paul Sessions
Dave Hanson, Urban and Community Forestry

Proper pruning  is one part of the class. Photo credit:
U of M Extension Service
In case you missed the notice in the last issue, we're running this again.--Ed. Announcing the 2004 Tree Care Advisor (TCA) Training! The TCA Program is similar to the Master Gardener program in that volunteers pay a fee, $80 this year, and receive 30 classroom hours of both hands on and in class training with local experts.

The training takes place in Green Hall on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm on February 21st, February 28th, March 6th, March 13th, and March 20th. The classes focus on tree and shrub care within an urban environment. Topics covered include, but are not limited to: plant selection based on site, how to prune, common tree insects and diseases, and diagnostic procedures.

In exchange for the training and support, volunteers are expected to perform 50 hours of community service the first year and 25 hours each additional year. Often, these volunteer hours are consistent with Master Gardener volunteer activities and are not in addition to required Master Gardener hours. In order to keep you up to date on current tree related research and news you continue to receive a quarterly newsletter, a website with tons of resources, and quarterly update training sessions on "hot topics."

Interested? Please visit the website at http://www.mntca.org to find out more about the program. While there you can fill out the online application or print one off to mail in. You can also call Dave Hanson at 612-624-1226 for program assistance. We look forward to hearing from you.

Editorial Notes

Hardy tulip. Photo credit:
Beth Jarvis
After the numbing cold of last week, it seems appropriate to note there's been some talk about the changes in the USDA Hardiness Zones. I took a second look at the new chart http://www.ahs.org/publications/usda_hardiness_zone_map.htmwhen a friend and colleague snorted at the notion of the Twin Cities being in USDA Hardiness Zone 5. I discovered there's really a very small part of the TC metro that will be reclassified to zone 5. My yard in a western inner ring metro suburb is still zone 4. It is interesting to compare the old and new, though. The new one uses plant names for the colors. "Cornflower" is the revised Zone 2--up in NE Minnesota. "Carrot" is the new Zone 3, and much of the state is now "Violet", formerly Zone 4--including my childhood home reclassed from old Zone 3. Zone 5 is "Apple". On the old map, we were light and dark orange or purple or light blue. Oh, but look for yourselves! The old/current map is here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/hzm-nm1.html


I'm not sure what we'll be featuring in the March issue. I'm still hoping the folks at the North Central Research and Outreach Center, formerly the NC Experiment Station, in Grand Rapids, will tell us about themselves. Or Dr. Kurtti and I will be able to connect and find out about tick research.

Krishona Martinson and Bob Mugaas, Regional Extension Educators, will collaborate on a piece for April 1 on alternatives to herbicides for weed control. This article came from a request, so don't be shy about sending me your story ideas!

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 the components of the Yard & Garden Line, such as Bell Museum of Natural History, INFO U and the Soil Testing Lab. There are new links to the Insect Journal, Plant DIsease Diagnostics, Disease Watch and now the Urban Forestry Resources clinic.

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

The Yard & Garden Clinic closed December 12, 2003 due to budget cuts. Questions from the general public will no longer be accepted. Samples will not be accepted.

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


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