Founded in 1863, the University of Massachusetts was among the more than 100 land-grant universities made possible by the Morrill Act of 1862, which was signed into law by President Lincoln. Originally called the Massachusetts Agricultural School, UMass was among the earliest institutions of higher education to focus on farming and agriculture.  The Act of 1862 endowed these land-grant schools with a mission to teach practical agriculture, science, military science and engineering. (MIT was the "other" land grant school in Massachusetts.)

I was pleased to discover that the Massachusetts Horticultural Society had a hand in UMass's inception.  Joining Mass Hort in 1830, Marshall Pinckney Wilder (1798-1886) was an esteemed member of the Society for over 55 years, serving as president from 1835 to 1848. In 1849 he turned his attention to his chief interest: improving agricultural education. His 1849 address to the Norfolk Agricultural Society is credited by many as a catalyst for the creation of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, and he served as a trustee to the University from 1867 until his death in 1886.

Happy Birthday UMass and the Stockbridge School!

Best regards,

Kathy

At a Display Garden like Elm Bank, we often deal with the same plant problems that are present in home landscapes.  This was the case when we discovered that a number of plants in the Hosta Garden were infected with Hosta Virus X .

HVX is a relatively new disease that was first spread by practices in the wholesale plant growing and distributing industry.  Even though industry practices have improved, we still see HVX plants for sale to unsuspecting consumers.  Last summer 4 of the 6 nurseries I visited and 1 of the 2 big box stores had diseased Hostas on their shelves.  Often these are found in the "sale" area and in most cases workers at these nurseries have no idea these are diseased plants, and have never heard of HVX.

HVX will not kill your Hosta, but it will disfigure it significantly, especially in advanced stages.  Here's an example of a Hosta 'Sum and Substance' with advanced disease.  This plant was for sale at a local nursery in the Worcester area.  Notice how the color appears to "bleed" into the middle of the veins.  This "ink bleed" is a classic HVX symptom.  You should avoid any plant that looks funky to you.  It may be damage from frost or from handling, but without testing the plant tissue, you can't be sure.  Bringing one diseased plant into your garden may cause other valuable plants to become diseased as well.  The best way to deal with this problem is to avoid HVX altogether.  Here's how you can do that.

1. Only buy your plants from knowledgeable sources.  Ask the nursery if their plants have been tested to be free from HVX.  If they don't know what that is, go elsewhere.  Most online plant nurseries will guarantee their plants to be disease and pest free.  These are safe sources.  The New England Hosta Society also lists knowledgeable sources on their "Resources" page. NEHS Resources.  A nursery specializing in Hosta like Cochato Nursery in Holbrook, is a safe source as well.
2. Avoid Hosta in plant swaps or yard sales.  You are more likely to get plants with foliar nematodes than HVX, but you just don't know.  If someone gives me a Hosta as a gift, I smile, say thank you and put it in a pot on my deck for at least a year.  Only when I know it is safe does it go into the soil in my garden.
3. Practice proper sanitation in your garden.  Wash and disinfect your tools.  HVX spreads by plant sap.  If you go from one plant to another cutting into plant tissue you can spread disease.  This happens when gardeners cut flower scapes.  Use a cleaning wipe that kills viruses like Clorox or Lysol wipes in between each plant.
4. Don't compost Hosta leaves.  These go in the trash.

So what do you do if you suspect or know that you have a plant with HVX in your garden?  First you wait until the plant

Hosta leaves infected with HVX

has finished flowering.  The latest research funded by the American Hosta Society shows that it is very difficult (perhaps impossible) to spread the disease after the plant has finished flowering.  American Hosta Society HVX research. 

Dig out the entire plant getting as much of the root system as possible without digging into the roots of neighboring Hosta.  Throw the entire thing, plant and soil into the trash.  Plant something other than a Hosta in that hole.  HVX only infects Hosta.  As of right now the AHS recommends that a Hosta never gets planted in that space.  Wash all tools and especially your shovel carefully, removing the soil entirely and scrubbing it, not just soaking it, in a 10% Bleach and water solution. 

At Elm Bank we had 15 plants test positive for HVX last summer.  In the fall all of these were removed as described above.  We replaced these Hosta with Heuchera, Astilbe, Pulmonaria  and other shade plants.  Still there are plenty of beautiful healthy Hosta to see in the Hosta Garden at Elm Bank.  Stop by and talk to us about the Hosta in your garden, on your next visit.

by Betty Sanders

BettyOnGardening.com

Don't Buy Impatiens This Year! The impatiens blight, also known as 'downy mildew', that struck last year is still present in the soil (the cold winter did not kill it), and will likely kill any impatiens you put out there this year, according to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service. Responsible nurseries will not be selling impatiens but reports are that 'big box' stores will. Don't waste your money on something that is almost certain to die early in the season. The blight is both soil- and wind-borne so, even if you didn't have it last year, it almost certainly will have

Bedding begonias make a great substitute for impatiens

infected your area.

Coleus are an attractive alternative to impatiens.

Two enormous piles of mulch were deposited at either end of our driveway

Mulch to Save.

Keep your lawnmower blade sharp

It may look artsy, but don't braid your daffodil foliage

Spring Bulbs.