The leaves are almost all off the trees, and today is the day to rake them up. The tall spikes of boneset and goldenrod have to be cut back too, as do the straggly stalks of the other plants that grow in my Darwinian garden whose names I have forgotten.This year I must be more careful with my raking because the maples have tar spot disease. It apparently doesn't really hurt the trees, but they look terrible from mid-September on as big black splotches of fungus like tar spots disfigure the leaves. There is no effective cure, but the fungus overwinters in the fallen leaves, and then infests the trees during damp, cool spring weather. Supposedly getting rid of all fallen leaves will cut down on the chances of bad tar spot next year.
The photo is of the last flowers in Parc Joyce, where earlier this week I found ginkgos ready to harvest.
3 comments:
I find the tar spots very depressing.
Yeah, the leaves do look pretty sad. But it seems to be a disease that entrred Quebec from the west on some nursery plants from Ontario. Last year was the first year that it showed up in our neighborhood and I think it is somewhat better this year. Is this because people are more careful about raking up leaves, or perhaps the trees are producing some sort of protection.
Hope all is well with you
Mary
It seems that lately I haven't seen a maple in Montreal that doesn't have those leaf spots.
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