My apples looked good until recently. Now they have tiny black
spots and gray blotches that look like mildew but are dry. Are
they ruined? Rains last month created conditions for two fungi:
flyspeck and sooty blotch. Both of these fungi can be washed
off. Soak and scrub off or just peel the apples. Fortunately,
they don't affect eating quality. The leaves of my rhododendron
are getting rough and brown patches. Is this a fungus I should
spray? This time of year, those symptoms would be caused by the
snowy tree cricket. You haven't seen them because they feed at
night from August to early October on azaleas and rhododendrons.
Unless you're seeing extensive damage, we don't recommend
control. Plant of the week Bearded iris, Fall-blooming bearded
iris Who knew that rainbows had beards? The Greek word "iris"
means rainbow, and irises come in more colors than a rainbow.
The beard, a fuzzy appendage on the lower petal, may serve to
attract bees or direct them to pollen to assure pollination.
Bearded irises are richl