Spring has sprung, finally! What’s in bloom? All the Maples, take a look at the beautiful red flowers on the Red Maples- Acer rubrum. Corneliancherry Dogwood-Cornus mas, Border forsythia- Forsythia intermedia, numerous bulbs including scilla, daffodills, grape hyacinths, dwarf iris, spring beauty. Look around and admire the beauty of early spring.
There are some pests out there unfortunately, and they are as follows: Eastern Tent Caterpillars are hatching their eggs. Larch Casebearer are also hatching their eggs. Eastern Tent Caterpillars attack plants in the Malus, Prunus, and Rosa families. They can be controlled during the egg hatch phase by removing the egg mass manually. The egg masses look like black gooey globs that encircle the stem of the plant. The egg masses should be removed and destroyed before the eggs hatch. Another pest making it way into the world is White Pine Weevil. The young are hatching and will soon start to chew on the branches from the inside out. There are sprays that will control them but they should be applied by a professional.
It may seem unlikely, but we have not had the spring rains this year that we normally get. The ground is becoming a bit dry. Older plantings are going to be o.k., but if your landscape includes some new plantings from last fall you may want to give them a drink.
Featured plants in the nursery: Forsythia intermedia – Border Forshythia, Rhododendron species,and Prunus triloba- Double Flowering Plum. If you want some early spring color these are great choices, they are in bloom right now.