Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Volunteer Opportunity

Vista of Fox Valley, a nursing/assisted living facility on Farnsworth Road, is interested in having someone come and do an activity with some of the residents who may be able to do some minor gardening and tend a few house plants.  This would probably be a one or two time volunteer opportunity to work with people who are home-bound but interested in a plant project.

Toby (708) 543-3327 is the contact person at the facility looking for assistance from someone who knows about plants and could help put this together.

If you are interested in helping, please contact Toby directly.  If you need help coming up with house plants for residents, please contact me, Diana, at (630) 879-7578 and I will put out a call for plants from members of our club and blog.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Wildflower Work Day - Saturday

Wander down to the Wildflower Sanctuary to see the bees buzzing on the bee balm (Monarda fistulosa)!
 
We will be having a work day on Saturday, and we will be starting at 8:00 in order to beat the heat.  We will be meeting in the shade and cleaning up the crescent-shaped area by the start of the boardwalk on the west side of the sanctuary.  Please bring Water, gardening gloves, eye protection, clippers, loppers, weed diggers and something to haul the weeds and clippings in.  I will bring some treats, and hope to see you then!

Sarah

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Looking for Gardens

We are starting to look for gardens for Gardenwalk 2020.  We need to find them in the next few weeks.  Do you know of a great garden in the area that might be one for our gardenwalk?  We are looking for mature gardens in the Batavia area, preferring gardens where the homeowner is also the gardener.  Please email or call me with the information about the garden, the home address, gardeners name and contact information (if known).

Thanks.

Diana Sharp
(630) 879-7578
dleesharp@sbcglobal.net


Did you call?

Want to go on the trip this Friday?  Did you call Nancy?  If not, please do so Monday morning.  Thanks.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Summer Trip Next Friday - CALL NOW TO COME!!!

Our summer trip is Friday, July 19th will be a “road trip” including a stop at Contrary Mary, 2735 US 52 in Minooka, Lizzie’s Garden Center, 2455 W. 111th St.in Naperville, a stop somewhere for lunch and then a final stop at the Growing Place - 2000 Montgomery Rd., Aurora.

We will meet in the lower level of the library parking lot (drive down the hill and park at the lower level) and will car pool from there.  If you can help drive, it would be great.  Plan to throw in a couple of dollars toward gas if you are “riding”. 

CALL NOW if you want to come.  We only have 3 people so far and will otherwise cancel this one.  Call Nancy Hollmeier know by phoning her at (630) 482-1133 by Sunday, July 13th 5pm.

Another idea - We are considering a trip to Racine to go to a “high end artsy” craft museum and then stopping at a large garden center up there.  It would include going somewhere for lunch.  Like that idea?  Let Nancy know and we will plan it.  Call her at (630) 482-1133 ASAP.


Thursday, July 4, 2019

Wildflower Sanctuary Workday and Bloomers!



Come see what is blooming at the Batavia Wildflower Sanctuary!  We will be having a work day on Saturday (July 6th) starting at 8:00 am.


We will be working in the shade on the east (wooded) side on pulling weeds, trimming, edging, and moving that last little bit of mulch.  If you have them, please bring gardening gloves, a water bottle, eye protection, weed diggers, clippers, loppers, and a bucket or tarp for hauling.  I will bring the weed wrench.
We would love to see you, but please do not come if it is raining more than a few sprinkles.
 
Hope you have a safe and happy 4th!
Sarah

Sudden Oak Death/ Ramorum Blight from purchased Rhododendrum

From the University of Illinois Extension/Master Gardeners

Dear all,
As many of you may be aware, Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen which causes Sudden Oak Death and Ramorum Blight, has been detected on ornamental plants in multiple Midwest states due to a shipment from an infected supplier. In Illinois, it has been detected on multiple varieties of Rhododendron, sold in some Walmart and Hy-Vee stores across the state. The Illinois Department of Agriculture press release is available here: https://www2.illinois.gov/Pages/news- item.aspx?ReleaseID=20288

People who are concerned about possible infected plants are directed to contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture or their local Extension office, and we are anticipating increased questions from the general public. While this is certainly a concerning situation, please remind people that there’s no reason to panic just yet. Sudden Oak Death has devastated natural areas in California and Oregon, but there’s no evidence that this disease is present in Illinois. The pathogen causes two diseases, depending on the host: Ramorum blight on many ornamental plants, and Sudden Oak Death to oaks. No oak trees have been found to be infected in Illinois, and the fact that the infected plants were detected quickly minimizes the possibility of this pathogen escaping into the environment.
If someone contacts you because they are concerned about their plants possibly being infected, please use the following questions to determine risk:

1. When were the plants purchased? If the plants were not purchased in 2019, it is unlikely that they are infected.

2. What are the plants? While the disease has a very wide host range, currently only rhododendron and lilac plants shipped to the Midwest have been confirmed as being infected. If the host is something other than a rhododendron or lilac, it is less likely that they are infected.

3. What symptoms are the plants displaying? Ramorum blight in woody ornamentals can look a lot like bacterial blight (especially on lilacs) and winter injury (especially on rhododendrons). Dark, chocolate-brown lesions on the leaves and terminal tip dieback with dark brown lesions on the stems are classic symptoms of this disease. Wilting and brown or black discoloration on trunks can also occur. For more pictures and descriptions, please see the following: http://www.suddenoakdeath.org/diagnosis-and-management/hosts-and-symptoms/ and https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8156.pdf

If, based on the questions above, you suspect that a plant may be infected with Phytophthora ramorum, please contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture at 815-787-5476 or Scott.Schirmer@Illinois.gov. Please include the host and variety if known, and the year and location of purchase. Because this is a regulated pathogen, do NOT destroy the plant without the approval of the Department of Agriculture. This pathogen can spread through irrigation water, so we recommend either not irrigating possibly infected plants, or watering at the base of the plants (try to avoid wetting the leaves or creating irrigation runoff). Sanitize any tools or equipment that may have come into contact with suspect plants (10% bleach or 70% ethanol solutions work well for most situations).