A View of the Valley

by Linda Schwanke The first week in August last year, Rose Ellen Schneider wrote a Letter to the Editor, at my request, detailing a problem people in the area were having with lilacs known as lilac blight. I’m reprinting the letter below with her permission. From the August 5, 2020, Home News: Dear editor, The weather this summer (and again this year) has been hard on the plants in our yards.  The high humidity and searing heat have contributed to blight, leaf spots, and powdery mildew on many different types of plants.  Several people have questioned me about their lilac shrubs dying. The shrubs aren’t actually dying. They have a blight, or fungus.  The shrubs may be cut all the way to the ground or almost to the ground and new branches will shoot out within a few weeks.  Or if the blight isn’t too widespread the branches that contain the damaged leaves may be trimmed off or cut back beyond where the damage is.  All the debris around the bush should be cleaned up and discarded.  Depending on how drastic the shrubs are cut back will determine how soon the shrubs will begin to bloom again in succeeding years. Do not panic. They will grow back and bloom again. Have patience because it may take a couple of years. Sincerely, Rose Ellen Schneider Spring Green The reason I’m sharing the letter again is because, you guessed it, it’s back. Last year our purple lilac bush got blight but the white one, about 20 feet away, was fine. Hubby Jim diligently followed Rose Ellen’s directions, cutting the purple one back almost all the way to the ground. New branches did shoot up and this spring they leafed out beautifully. No blooms but not a big deal. A couple weeks ago, Jim, daughter Gwen and I all noticed that it’s leaves were looking sad. We figured it was the on-going drought conditions. We stepped up our watering routine until this weekend’s rains awhich seems to have made the plants happy, and are hoping for the best.  Then, last week, the leaves on the white lilac, which was a cutting from a lilac bush at Otter Creek Farm and has been the hardiest bush in the yard for years, started to wilt. I remembered Rose Ellen’s letter, dug it up, and discovered that yes, both our lilacs have blight.  I decided to see what I could find on the internet to supplement Rose Ellen’s advice. I learned that there are quite a few lilac diseases so you have to be sure you know what you’re dealing with. Powdery mildew, different than blight, appears in summer or fall and causes a filmy white growth on leaves, while lilac blight emerges in spring, causing blackened leaves, tips and flowers. Leaf spot diseases are more prevalent during wet weather and cause distorted or spotted leaves. Lilac diseases are most common in plants in partial shade with heavy clay soil. Clay soil is not really an issue in the Valley. You are supposed to prune the lilac in spring immediately after blooming to remove old, dead branches and increase air circulation, then spray with a fungicide labeled for treating mildew as soon as symptoms appear. Repeat as directed by the manufacturer. For lilac blight, prune infected bushes in dry weather. Prune six inches below the infected branches and be sure to disinfect the pruning shears in a solution of one part chlorine bleach to three parts water between cuts. Rake up all leaves and plant debris on the ground. Discard or burn all branches and debris. Do not compost them or leave them on your property. Then spray the lilacs in the fall with a fungicide containing copper sulfate. Spray them again in the spring before buds break. We (Jim) are taking more steps to try to save our lilacs but part of me thinks that with the invasion of Japanese beetles it will be a waste of time. We’ll see. Meanwhile, keep an eye on your lilacs. Keep an eye on the spread of COVID-19, too. Many places are now asking that we mask up again as the Delta variant numbers climb. Please don’t be a poop about it. Wearing a mask makes life safer for everyone and it just isn’t that hard. Stay in touch. My number is 574-3159. Email me at homenewseditor@newspubinc.com or write to me at the Home News, P.O. Box 39, Spring Green WI 53588.  Visit our website at homenewsrv.com Get in touch with Gwen for sports or features at homenewssports@newspubinc.com. 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