Here’s a series of gardening updates from LMMNA NPU-F Rep Richard Sussman. At the NPU, he is co-chair for Parks, Trees, and Environment.
Rich is a life-long gardener and dedicates a lot of time to helping us with our own green spaces around Lindridge-Martin Manor. Along with his son, Matt, he helped found our LMMNA Community Garden.
He’s also heavily involved with the South Fork Conservancy, and he’s a passionate advocate for the South Fork Trail System and Trees Atlanta. Last year he gave tours about trees on the Atlanta BeltLine.
The man never stops. Contact him anytime at npu@lmmna.org.
Want to Become a Master Gardner?
Do you have a passion for volunteering? Do you love working with and educating people? Do you want to become a local expert in ornamental and vegetable gardening? Then become a Fulton County Master Gardener Extension Volunteer. This year’s certification classes will be held on Wednesdays, 10am to 3pm, from September 9 through November 18, 2020.
How to apply: Applications are available (1) on line at the Fulton County Extension Service or by emailing Melissa Mattee at mmattee@uga.edu; (2) by mail at Fulton County Cooperative Extension, 1757 Washington Road, East Point, GA 30344; (3) by calling the Extension Office at 404-762-4077. Fill out the application fully and return to the Extension Office by May 29, 2020.
The Fulton County Extension Office will be holding three information sessions:
March 11, 1pm to 2:30pm at the Alpharetta Branch Library, 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, GA 30009
April 16, 10:30 am to noon at the Metropolitan Branch Library, 1332 Metropolitan Pkwy SW, Atlanta, GA 30310
May 13, 10:30am to noon at the Fairburn Branch Library, 60 Valley View Dr, Fairburn, GA 30213
Why are my Knockout Roses dying?
Ooo, this isn’t as pretty as a rose. It’s call RRV or RRD, Rose Rosette Virus or Rose Rosette Disease, and it’s nothing to mess around with.
The virus is principally spread by tiny eriophyid mites -- so tiny, in fact, that they literally blow into gardens on the wind. When they feed on a rose, they transmit the virus. What can I do? Can they be saved? Unfortunately, no.
Because rose rosette is caused by a virus, it eventually spreads internally to every part of the plant. Promptly removing the bright-red shoot clusters by cutting through healthy green wood below them may save a rose. But once a rose gets full-blown rose rosette, that’s all folks. You must pull up the rose, roots and all, bag it, and throw it out with the trash. Spraying will not work.
You can try pruning back the plants by 2/3 while they're dormant in late winter to remove any overwintering mites and eggs in the bud crevices. This is especially important for large landscape plantings of 'Knockout,' because the more bushes you have, the more mites you have, and it's easier for the virus to spread.
The preferred solution is to plant something besides roses in their place because most rose species and their selections are susceptible to RRV.
SOURCES: SouthernLiving.com (March 3, 2020) and caes,uga.edu (various publications)
Plant a Free Tree this Spring
If you are thinking about planting a tree, mid-October to mid-December is the best time; however, the experts at Trees Atlanta plant up to April 1.
To obtain a free tree for your front yard from the Neighborwoods Program at Trees Atlanta, contact Dave Simpson at dave@treesatlanta.org.
