Itching to Garden?

It continues to be cold and snowy in Indianapolis. Mother Nature is taking her time this year. The past three winters gave us winter aconite and other early spring flowers by mid-February. Not this year!

If you want to get out into the garden, maybe it’s time to think about your tall German iris (also called bearded iris). If you haven’t yet, cut back and remove last year’s leaves and any surrounding plant debris. This will help you control two different iris pests.

Iris borers are the larval, or caterpillar, stage of a moth. The adult lays eggs in the iris leaves and debris in late summer. In spring, the eggs hatch. The caterpillar climbs onto new iris leaves, burrows into them, and moves down into the iris rhizome, where it feeds. Eliminating the eggs by gathering and discarding all the old plant debris will go a long way toward controlling this pest. For more information on iris borers see http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/e122irisborer.html.

Another pest that attacks iris is iris leaf spot. This is a fungal disease that infects new leaves and causes spots on the leaves and lack of vigor. Again, you can avoid chemicals by simply cleaning up and discarding the old iris leaves. For more information on iris leaf spot see http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/plantdiseasefs/450-600/450-600.html.

Of course, you can always change the plant. Siberian iris are resistant to both of these pests.

Don't Worry - your bulbs are fine

It continues to be cold and snowy in Indiana. Most of the bulbs are still dormant, keeping their leaves and flowers safely below the snow. If a few leaves of your daffodils or crocus have ventured above-ground, don’t worry. This happens almost every year. As the weather warms you may see the tips of the leaves turn brown or white. The leaves underground are still fine and will emerge green and healthy, soon followed by the flowers.

Still worried? Take heart from these photos from 2005. The first is from mid-January. The second, with the dead leaf tips, is from February 3, 2005. The last shows the daffodils in full flower – complete with dead leaf tips – on March 18, 2005.