Spring weather has been perfect for area flowers

We have had an almost perfect spring with cool night time temperatures and mild daytime temperatures which has influenced flower color and flower duration.

We have enjoyed the most vivid flower colors on cherries, magnolia, and redbuds seen in several years-probably due to the temperatures.

Dogwoods have bloomed longer this year than the last few years. My last dogwood blooms were falling off this past weekend, but my kousa dogwood was beginning to show some color. Isn’t spring grand?!!

You probably recall we lost all of our April bloomers last year because of the April freeze.

The first reports of fire blight come from Bradley and Davidson Counties, on April 29. Look for wilting and browning of blossom spurs or shoots associated with blossoms on apple and pear.

Any symptoms you see this time of year are the result of blossom infections. True shoot blight will come later.

Since the bloom stage is over, it is too late for streptomycin to be effective. This antibiotic is not effective against the shoot blight phase of fire blight. (SBost)

Kill new tender grass in the nursery row with either Fusilade, Envoy or Vantage, depending on if your crops are on the label. Increase spray pressure as needed to achieve good coverage of foliage.

It is about time for damage to show on the terminals of red maples caused by the tip borer (a shoot-boring caterpillar). Let me know if or when you see it.

Look for aphids on the underside of birch foliage that will cause wrinkling of the foliage. Orthene sprayed on the top side will kill them on the bottom. Dormant oil applied in February or March would have killed them.