March Meeting

What’s Wrong with My Plants? Insect Pests of Roses

and Other OrnamentalsDr. Frank Hale

Professor of Horticultural Crop Entomology Department of Entomology
and Plant Pathology
UT Institute of Agriculture

Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. Kingsport Center for Higher Education,

300 W. Market Street, Kingsport, TN 37660

Join UT Extension’s leading entomologist for a look at the most com- mon garden pests of roses and other ornamental plants in our region andlearn how to identify and manage them in your garden.

Dr. Frank Hale earned his Ph.D. in Entomology from Ohio State Uni- versity. He specializes in diagnosis and management of insect and mite pests of ornamental plants, turf grass, fruit, vegetables and dark tobacco; integrated pest management; invasive pest monitoring; and macro-photography. He is a member of the UTIA Dogwood Team, UTIA Turf Team, Southern Nursery IPM Working Group, and the Rose Rosette Re- search Team. For over 25 years Dr. Hale has assisted nurserymen, green- house growers, landscapers, and home gardeners across Tennessee. He supports extension agents and Master Gardeners in their programming in insect and mite identification and management and works closely with the UT Soil, Plant and Pest Center in Nashville, which is the primary information resource for regional pest and disease diagnostics. He is an engaging speaker who also presents many out of state workshops on plant problems annually.

As an added bonus Dr. Hale will be accompanied by Dr. Alan Wind- ham, Extension Plant Pathology Specialist, an expert in turf and orna- mental plant pathology. Dr. Windham will be available to answer ques- tions on rose rosette disease, boxwood

blight and any other disease issues of interest. The two scientists will also be bringing specimens for display. If you’re wondering what’s wrong with your garden plants, you’re encouraged to bring your questions for advice from these two experts .

March 2

Weed Wrangle. Tennessee State Parks and community partners are seeking volunteers for the annual Weed Wrangle, a nation- wide effort to fight invasive plant species in public parks. Our area state parks – David Crockett Birthplace SP, Roan Moun- tain SP, Rocky Fork SP, and Warriors’ Path SP – are participat- ing. For details, see https://tnstateparks.com/about/special-events/weed-wrangle/

March 2

• ?  Vegetable Gardens—How to Grow Things Easier and Learn Those Small Nuances Amongst the Many Plants (Like Tomatoes and Corn) 9 am—noon. Sycamore Shoals State Park community room. Presenters: Ben Hunter and Lynn Hicks. Free. 423-543-5808 for more info.
• ?  Kingsport CSA Fair. 10 am – 1 pm. Kingsport Farmers Market Pavilion. Free. Connect with local farmers and ex- plore how your family can have healthy food options while supporting our regional agriculture economy. Sponsored by Appalachian RC&D and ASD. https:// arcd.org/2019/02/15/kingsport-csa-fair-2019/March 7Herb Saplings meeting, 7 pm at Exchange Place. Christy Shivell, grower of herbs, native plants and heirlooms at Shy Valley Farm and occupational therapist, will present“Maintaining the Gardener.” Christy will share herbal remedies for dry hands, chapped lips, and sore muscles, as well as advice from an occupational therapist’s point of view about simple techniques to prevent back pain, protect your joints, and to keep you gardening for life. She will also lead us in making a herbal sugar scrub ($6 fee). If you would like to make a scrub, please let Christy know by emailing shyvalley@aol.com or texting 423-348-6570. Bring an herb snack to share if you have time.March 15-16Plant Natives 2019 – “Partnering with Nature” Presented by Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones. University Center, University of Chattanooga.https://tnvalleywildones.or/plantnatives-2019/

  March 17

• ?  Starting Seeds Indoors. UT Gardens Knoxville. Organic Edible Gardening Series–Starting Seeds Indoors. UT Gar- dens Knoxville. Join James Newburn in the greenhouse for this class on starting your own vegetable, flower, and herb seeds. Learn the basics of seed starting, light requirements, media selection and learn about our favorite seed resources. You will also learn about soil-blocking which reduces the expense and waste associated with container grown seed- lings. Pre-registration required. https://ag.tennessee.edu/ utg/Lists/Calendar%20of%20Events/DispForm.aspx? ID=171
• ?  Native Plant Gardening in Small Gardens & Containers. Botanical Gardens at Asheville. 2-4 pm. Botanical Gardens at Asheville. 2-4 pm. Led by Dr. Lisa Wagner, Director of Education at the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clem- son for over 20 years. Participants must pre-register and pre-pay for classes. Call 828-252-5190. $15 for BGA mem- bers/$20 non-members. https:// ashevillebotanicalgardens.org/events-classes/adult-classes/

March 30

? Jonesborough CSA Fair. 10 am – 1 pm. Jonesborough Visi- tors Center. Showcases local farms offering CSA shares in the Northeast TN/Southwest VA region. Free. https:// arcd.org/2019/02/19/jonesborough-csa-fair-2019/

? Monarch Butterflies with Karen Mason. 10:30 am. Mize Farm and Garden, 251 Old Gray Station Rd., Gray. Free, but please call 423-467-2300 to reserve a seat.

March 31

Organic Pest and Disease Control. South Greenhouse, UT Gardens Knoxville. 1:30-4:30 pm. Organic Edible Gardening Series– Successful organic gardeners employ a variety of methods to keep the garden healthy and productive. This class will cover crop rotation, companion planting, mechanical con- trol, variety selection, beneficial insect management, natural insecticides, bio-fumigants and more. Pre-registration required.https://ag.tennessee.edu/utg/Lists/Calendar%20of%20Events/ DispForm.aspx?ID=172

This is a volunteer opportunity for any who may be interested

The beautiful Ardinna Woods Arboretum and Butterfly Garden in Jonesborough needs your help. This unique regional resource has more than seventy native tree species and a multitude of native shrubs and wildflowers which serve as hosts for a number of butterflies and other pollinators. Almost two out of three of the shrub species are endangered in some states.

The late winter/early spring cleanup is beginning and the Arboretum is looking for volunteers to help get the things spruced up and to adopt a plot for 2019. Plots are small, averaging 20’ by 20’, so you can decide just how much you want to take on. Once spring cleanup is complete, it should take about 1-2 hours a month. Prior knowledge of native plants is not required.

This is a great opportunity to learn about native trees, shrubs and pollinator flowers by watching them through the whole season.Individuals who adopt a plot and work in the Arboretum will have the added bonus of being able to take arboretum plants home as they are thinned out. Despite being native to this area, some of the plants are hard to find in local nurseries.

There will be an educational session and volunteer recruitment meeting, with lunch, for those interested in participating this season, on Saturday March 16th from 9:00 until noon at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center. If you want to attend and learn about native plants and volunteering, please sign up on the Ardinna Woods Arboretum Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/2602876816408966/, the ticket link is at the bottom. You may also contact Rachel Conger at rachelc@jonesboroughtn.org.

Please note, you don’t need to attend this session to adopt a plot.

Here are some more links about Ardinna Woods.

• The trees and map: https://www.jonesboroughtn.org/images/ARBORETUM_11x17_2010a.pdf
• https://www.jonesboroughtn.org/index.php/living-in-jonesborough/local-attractions/arboretum-butterfly-garden
• https://www.jonesboroughtn.org/images/TN_ConservationW.pdf
• https://www.jonesboroughtn.org/images/butterfly_article_entire.pdf

If you have any questions, please give me a call. Geoff Hoare

 (352) 214-5379

hoarega@gmail.com