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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 24, 2015 9A Polk County News Disease hitting boxwood shrubs A disease that attacks boxwood shrubs could po- tentially become a serious problem in residential and public gardens in western Oregon. Boxwood blight, which first showed up in nurseries in Oregon in 2011, is making inroads in the Portland area, according to Jay W. Pscheidt, a plant pathology specialist with Oregon State Universi- ty’s Extension Service. “The message to home- owners is that if they notice something unusual going on with their boxwood they’ve never seen before, it could be boxwood blight,” Pschei- dt said. The fungus is active dur- ing warm, wet weather, splashing from plant to plant by rain. Even though this spring has been rela- tively dry, overhead water- ing causes the same condi- tions so the disease can spread like any other year. Using a soaker hose will help. The sticky fungal spores easily attach to clothing, pruners or other equipment and then trans- fer to other boxwoods, so avoid working with wet plants. Boxwood blight (Calonec- tria pseudonaviculata) caus- es spots on leaves and stems and eventually defoliates and kills the plants. Stem le- sions show up as wide black streaks; on leaves they ap- pear as round spots. There is no cure, but pre- K YM P OKORNY Your Garden vention measures can help keep the disease from spreading, he said. The most effective method is to in- spect purchased plants and keep them in an area away from already planted box- wood for two weeks or more. If the shrubs don’t show spots, they can be planted. “That might be hard,” Pscheidt said, “but the fun- gus can be present and the plant hasn’t shown symp- toms yet.” Boxwood blight emerged in Europe in the early 1990s and quickly spread. Eradica- tion has been unsuccessful, he said. The fungus most likely hitched a ride on plants shipped from Europe to North America. By 2011, the disease had been found in nurseries and landscapes in several East Coast states, three nurseries in Oregon and four in British Colum- bia, Canada. According to Pscheidt, wholesale nurseries in Ore- gon, which consider box- wood a bread-and-butter crop, have kept the disease mostly in check with a nurs- ery cleanliness program ad- ministered through the Ore- Preventing the spread of boxwood blight : • Inspect new plants and isolate them from other box- woods for at least two weeks before planting. • Avoid overhead watering. Instead, use a soaker hose. • Don’t work with wet boxwood. • Disinfect pruners and hedge clippers after use. • Never compost infected plants. • If you have a diseased plant, place it in a plastic bag and dispose of it in the garbage bin rather than yard debris recycling bin. • Buy less-susceptible cultivars. The fungus seems to prefer the most common boxwood known as American or English boxwood (Buxus sempervirens). Instead, look for B. microphylla ‘Wintergreen,’ B microphylla ‘Franklin’s Gem,’ B. sempervirens ‘North Star,’ B. microphylla ‘Wedding Ring’ and B. harlandii ‘Richard.’ For more information, read about boxwood blight in Ex- tension’s Pacific Northwest Plant Disease Management Handbook or contact an OSU Extension Master Gardener. gon Department of Agricul- ture. But the disease has jumped into some land- scapes in Portland and Coos Bay. Now that it’s made in- roads into gardens, coopera- tion from homeowners is es- sential. MI TOWN Summertime in MI Town means awakening to spec- tacular sunrises and fresh air, with the promise of a busy day ahead. Some of us are busy with children and their activities, others are heading off to workplaces, and those with big yards and gardens are hoping to ac- complish the hardest tasks in the early morning hours, before it gets too warm out- side. We’re enjoying endless pitchers of lemonade and sun tea, which taste espe- cially good after hard work in the flower and vegetable gardens. The poet, James Whitcomb Riley, could have been sitting under a tree in the backyard when he wrote “Knee Deep in June.” — Our local strawberries and raspberries are putting on their annual show and the results are spectacular, as usual. Freshly baked shortcake crowned with those beautiful fruits and just a touch of sweetened whipped cream is a wonder- P ATTY T AYLOR D UTCHER Columnist ful temptation few — if any — of us could even begin to resist. The trick is to keep enough of those delightful berries away from the rest of the household so they can be transformed into jars of jam before they disappear for another year. — Summertime also means reading time, with lots of good books available at the libraries or bookstores. Whether you’re sitting under those apple trees or in a comfy chair out on the back deck, summer books are fun for readers of all ages. The Friends of the Mon- mouth Library would appre- ciate donations of books for their ongoing book sale. Please bring your gently read books — and especially magazines — to share with others. While you’re there, see what’s new at either of MI Town’s libraries. — Be sure to check both In- dependence and Mon- mouth’s city websites for the upcoming outdoor concerts and movies — and make your plans accordingly. It’s actually possible to see two live groups and watch an outdoor movie every week without leaving MI Town. It’s all happening at Mon- mouth’s Main Street Park and the Independence Am- phitheater. — The local chapter of the International Beta Sigma Phi sorority, Laureate Alpha Iota of Monmouth and In- dependence, held a legacy tea and Mother’s Day cele- bration on May 9 at the Faith Lutheran Church in Monmouth. The Legacy Program started in 1957 as a way for members to give the gift of Beta Sigma Phi to their daughters, grand- daughters, nieces or any A RLENE K OVASH Columnist Pe d e e. De a n n e t a u g h t third and fourth grades there throughout the ’60s. The rest of us enjoyed hearing the history of that time from the women. — April Makalea, who with her husband Tale, has the farm stand on Maple Grove Road, will be teaching a class on food preservation Thursday night at Pedee Church. Learn about cur- ing fermentation, larding, cold storage and cheese- making on Thursday. This workshop series is open to anyone, so come and invite your friends. A potluck meal will be at 6 p.m., and the workshops will begin at 6:45. Come for either or both. — The Makalea’s daughter Alyssa, who is home- schooled, will be graduat- ing from high school in a few weeks. She will be working with the animals on her parents’ farm as she’s a real animal lover. — On Thursday, 7 p.m., a b l u e g ra s s j a m w i l l b e launched at the church’s outdoor amphitheater and will continue through the Johnson-Steed Cynthia Rae John- son of Dallas and Jar- rod Kevin Charles Steed of Monmouth are planning a July wedding. The bride-to-be is the daughter of David and Judi Johnson of Dallas. Her fiancé is the son of Paul and Margaret Steed of Monmouth. Cynthia is a 2005 graduate of Dallas High School. Jarrod, a 2011 grad- uate of Central High School, is currently employed with the Ron Wilson Center in Monmouth as part of the sup- port staff. The wedding is set for July 11, at the Portland Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BIRTHS Dittmar-Woods Jack Ryder Dittmar-Woods was born to Patrick Cruck- shank-Dittmar and Acacia Woods of Monmouth at 7:11 p.m. on June 12 at Salem Hospital Family Birth Center. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 20½ inches long. Jack joins Shawn 23 months old. Grandparents are Laird Woods of Tidewater, Marlena Brumley of Dallas, and Robert Dittmar of Pacific, Wash. Mendoza Damian Ricardo Mendoza was born to Jose and Brandi Mendoza of Independence at 6:24 a.m. on June 15 at Salem Hospital Family Birth Center. He weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Damian joins Savannah 15, J.J. 10, and Dominick 2. Grandparents are Ricardo and Colleen Camero of Inde- pendence, and Felix and Carlota Venegas of Independ- ence. Bailey other special girl in their life. Sharing Beta Sigma Phi with young girls is a very loving gift the members can pass on, knowing that their legacies aren’t just the fu- ture of the sorority, but the future of the world. — The historic AME Church in Charleston, S.C., is clear on the other side of the United States, but the mur- ders of nine innocent peo- ple at a prayer meeting last week resonates with all of us. To try to figure out why a young man would commit such a tragic and horrible crime is way above my pay grade, but we’ll hear lots of commentary and conversa- tion during the upcoming days and have time to come to our own conclusions. Whether it’s the anonymi- ty of the Internet or that people feel free to act mean- spirited and say and do awful things, so much ha- tred should never be wel- come — or tolerated — in our communities, our state or our country. PEDEE NEWS Nine women who went to Pedee School in the 1940s and ’50s met at last Wednesday’s Pedee Wom- ens Club meeting for a re- union, where a lot of remi- niscing went on. The nine were Connie Jones McBeth Ames of Dal- las, Mary Lou Tharp Phillips of Sheridan, Co- lene Condon Lamberty of Philomath, sisters-in-law Deanne Maddux and Mil- dred Maddux of Mon- mouth, Marguerite McBeth Nice of McMinnville, LaV- erne Bennett, Alberta Bur- bank Jones, and Judy Mad- dux Houston, who was here from near Chicago. Alberta and Mil- dred graduated in 1949, the last high school class in ENGAGEMENTS summer. Dr. Pat Huff will be there with his banjo, and they are expecting a couple of mandolin play- ers, at least one guitarist and possibly another banjo player. They are hoping for a fiddler. The focus is to raise up folks that are new players or new to bluegrass, so any skill level is welcome. An audience is welcome, too, so bring your chairs and possibly blankets and lis- ten in! — Nar Anon is still meet- ing at the church on Sun- day evenings from 5 till 6 p.m. This group serves as a support group for friends and families of those af- fected by addiction. ATTENTION Students & Teachers Dallas High Class of 1970 45th Class Reunion Festivities Schedule Fri., July 24th 2015 6:00-9:00 pm. Meet at Abby’s Pizza in North Dallas for an evening of fun & getting reacquainted. Food & drinks are on your own. Sat., July 25th, 2015 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Parade in downtown Dallas 5:00 pm til ? Dinner: Hawaiian Theme. Come dressed for the occasion. DJ, dancing, video presentation and more. $45 person, $80 couple (advanced reservations needed), Evy Kristensen 503-816-9009 for tickets & info. Sun., July 26, 2015 7:00 am - 11:00 am Breakfast in the Park (on your own) Potluck Family Picnic 1:00 pm Dallas Park, Brandvold Kitchen, near footbridge. Jacob Jordan Bailey was born to Jacob and Kathrine Bailey of Dallas at 7:06 p.m. on June 17 at Salem Family Hospital Birth Center. He weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces, and was 21 inches long. Jacob is the couple’s first child. Grandparents are Russell and Amy Hillebrand of Dal- las, and Jay and Danette Bailey of Dallas. Bethel Community Church 7575 Bethel Rd., Rickreall presents Jericho Road Bluegrass Gospel BAND June 28 • 10:45 a.m. Potluck following the program. Friends & public invited. For information or directions call 503-510-5141
