The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County recently awarded Jerry Kral the 2010 Excellence in Horticulture Award for the Greater Rochester Region. Jerry was honored for his volunteer work with The Eastman House, Rochester Civic Garden Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension and his work with many plant societies. It is certainly a well deserved award, Congratulations Jerry!

Watch Out For Lily Leaf Beetles

Adult beetle and feeding damage


















Eggs

I found these awful creatures on my fritillarias yesterday; the adults must have just emerged. They showed up in our area a year or two ago, and can completely decimate lilies and fritillarias, and possibly some other plants such as Soloman's seal and solanums. For now I am going to try to control them by squishing the adults and the eggs by hand. They are easy to spot, being bright red, but the adults drop to the ground and hide when you disturb them. Keep a close eye on your plants, because once they get going they are voracious, and the larvae that hatch from the eggs are even worse than the adults. Cornell recommends this fact sheet for further information: http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/defoliators/lily_leaf_beetle.html

Good sharp tools make gardening so much easier! If you’re afraid to look at yours and need some tips on how to care for them and choose between the good, the bad and the ugly - make sure to tune in to Rochester public television RCTV-15 Tuesday April 6, 6:30pm-7pm for a special program: “The Sharpest Tool in the Shed” with RCGC executive director Christine Froehlich and instructor Nellie Gardner.