*Caution Urged with Regard to Phytophthora ramorum (Causal Agent of Sudden Oak Death): Media reports indicate the diseases is caused by a virus (it’s a fungus) and that it is wiping out oak forests in California as we speak. We do know the disease attacks many other plants besides oaks and we also know that it favors unhealthy plants and is often a secondary problem. (How often have you heard us say stressed, unhealthy plants are more susceptible to disease and insect attack? We must sound like broken records.) For specific information on this disease, go to http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden/Issues_View.aspx?IssueID=6f50dd52-cca0-4434-8173-b6b44c18a65c
Most of the plants susceptible to P. ramorum will not survive in Wyoming’s climate. The complete list of susceptible plants can be found at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/ispm/sod/usdasodlist.html.
* New Book! Now available from the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES) is a 162-page book titled “Organic Vegetable Production.” It is a compilation of the proceedings from a three-day meeting in January 2003 and covers talks from 20 presenters. Contact NRAES at 607-255-7654, fax 607-254-8770, email NRAES@CORNELL.EDU, or visit the web site at WWW.NRAES.ORG.
*Did You Know: The USDA says the U.S. nursery industry is HUGE. “The U.S. is the world’s largest producer and market for nursery and greenhouse crops, and the nursery and greenhouse industry is the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture (USDA Economic Research Service). In terms of economic output, nursery and greenhouse crops represent the third most important sector in U.S. crop agriculture. Nursery and greenhouse crops are in the top five commodities in 27 states, and the top ten commodities in 42 states. Seven states account for almost two-thirds of all nursery crop production: California (24%), Texas (11%), Florida (9%), North Carolina (9%), Oregon (7%), Ohio (4%), and Maryland (3%).”
Wow.
*Outdoor Field Cut Flowers? Sure! There is a whole organization devoted to this industry: the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (see upcoming conference information below). Many companies produce seed and other propagative materials specifically for this area of horticulture. Some of the new varieties and the companies involved include:
Benary Seed (infoUSA@Benary.com) – Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’, Trachelium caeruleum ‘Jemmy’, and Helianthus annuus ‘Soraya’.
Goldsmith (1-800-549-0158) – Eustoma ‘Twinkle’ and ‘Cinderella’ and Antirrhinum ‘Opus’ and ‘Overture’.
Harris Seeds (1-800-544-7938 or www.harrisseeds.com) – Ageratum ‘Red Sea’, Delphinium ‘Guardian Mix’, Dianthus ‘Amazon Rose Magic’, Gomphrena ‘QIS Carmine’, Helianthus ‘Pro Cut Orange’, and Zinnia ‘New Burpee Hybrids’.
Many other companies cater to the outdoor field cut industry. Some of the include: PanAmerican Seed (630-231-1400 or www.PanAmSeed.com), Germania Seed Company (1-800-380-4721 or www.germaniaseed.com), American Takii (831-443-4901 or www.takii.com), Sherman Nursery Company (1-800-747-5980 or www.shermannursery.com), Jelitto (502-895-0807 or www.jelitto.com), GeoSeed (888-645-2323 or email geoseed@emeraldis.com), Modena Seed Company (415-585-2324 or seedal@modenaseed.com), Gloeckner (800-345-3787 or www.fredgloeckner.com), and Johnny’s Selected Seeds (800-854-2580 or www.johnnyseeds.com).
ASCFG is divided into regions; amazingly enough, Wyoming is in the West (!). Our region will have a short conference probably in late August, probably somewhere in California. The West regional director is Brenda Smith of Smith & Smith Farms in Dayton, Nevada.
*In the Panter Back Yard and Zoo: Hyacinth, daffodil, and tulip time! Things are slowly coming up and greening but it’s taking a while this year because we’ve had lots of cool, moist weather lately. We did manage to get some snow peas in last week, but it’s been so cool they still haven’t emerged 10 days later! We noticed the Viburnum carlesii and V. burkwoodii shrubs are budded and will soon be flowering; same with the ‘Montmorency’ cherry and the ‘Spring Snow’ crabapple. The cottonwoods are busily creating allergy havoc.
The lawn has gotten zero extra water so far this spring, other than what mom nature has supplied. We still haven’t turned on the sprinkler system and have only gotten the hoses hooked up a couple of times this month. Things are looking better drought-wise, but it’s still going to be a tight water year.
The hawks are back! Every year around early April a pair of Swainson’s hawks appears after wintering in South America – they go all the way to Brazil or even Argentina. They nest somewhere near our neighborhood and then head south in late September or early October. We’ve also seen goldfinches but not many pine siskins yet.
The zoo has changed once again. We now have four hermit crabs in a reptile tank. Evan decided he wanted some for his birthday so…..Actually they’re very interesting creatures. They each have their own little personality – one of them takes awhile to come out of his (her?) shell when you hold it, but eventually emerges very cautiously. The other three are very busy and curious. The type Evan got is nocturnal and also likes to climb. The sad news is that Hedwig the hamster passed away last week; we’re not sure what happened, although she did escape from her hamster house a few days before. When I discovered her missing I enlisted the help of Bee the dog to sniff her out and sure enough, Bee found her pronto. During her brief freedom she may have nibbled on something she shouldn’t have. All the other creatures seem to be thriving, though. Even Henry the Madagascar hissing cockroach seems more active – we put some silk foliage (yes it does have its uses…) in his tank and he’s out and about more now.
Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium orchids are still blooming!
*Upcoming Events:
-Ohio Florists Association Short Course, July 10-14, 2004, Columbus, Ohio. Contact: www.ofa.org.
-American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, July 17-20, 2004, Austin, Texas. Contact: www.ashs.org.
-ISA-2004: Bridging Technologies for Trees of Tomorrow, August 7-11, 2004, David Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Contact: www.isa-arbor.com.
-2004 Farwest Show, August 26-28, 2004, Portland, Oregon. Contact www.farwestshow.com or 800-342-6401.
-Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers National Conference and Trade Show, November 2-5, 2004, Doubletree Hotel, Orlando, Florida. Contact: ASCFG at ascfg@oberlin.net or visit www.ascfg.org.
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