Horticulture Question of the Week

People e-mail me all the time with questions.  Great detail of the situation and pictures are always helpful.

Here is one of the latest to arrive:

Mike, I’m a Master Gardener in Columbia County and have contacted you occasionally over the last several years with  problems I’ve encountered.  You always seem to be able to help me.  Here are two more.

Attached is a photo showing a growth deformity on a tree rose belonging to a friend south of Portage.  The plant has been growing in an open area, full sun, for about 7 years.  This specimen blooms about 5 feet to 8 feet above the ground.  I noticed this strange deformity earlier in the summer and pruned it off.  It came back and is now appearing on another branch.  The new growth is thick and abnormally swollen.  Can you give me some advice.

The same friend has a Japanese Maple that is not well.  It is growing in the same area as the tree roses above.  Part of the maple appears to be dead, while the rest leafs out OK.  There are several areas where the bark is peeling off.  There are also several suckers at the base.  Is it worth trying to save this tree?  Will the suckers amount to anything?  Or should we just put it out of its misery?

Any thoughts you have are greatly appreciated.  Thanks as always for your help.

Lorra R.
Poynette, WI

Of course, I had thoughts….

Lorra.

Here are my thoughts based on the pictures and information provided.

RE: Rose….   Rose Rosette Disease.  Read through this fact sheet and see if it sounds applicable.  You may need to submit a sample to the PDDC for 100% confirmation.

RE: Maple… looks like a root-rot / deep planting issue to me.  Verticillium wilt may be a possiblity as well.  Again, won’t know unless the PDDC can confirm something.

I suspect that the eventual removal of the plant will be necessary.  But hard to give a recommendation until something is confirmed.

Does that help?  Sorry I can’t provide a definite answer.

Mike.

And was it helpful?

Thanks, Mike, this info was very helpful.

LR

As I said, e-mail with pictures is great but you still can’t always confirm what it is.  Sometimes giving the homeowner some possible information may help move everyone one step closer to finding an answer.  And, always for 100% confirmation, consider sending something to the PDDC for analysis.