From SRGC Member Carrie Thomas comes this note about a potentially nasty problem for our plants :
Here in the UK the killer disease of downy mildew of aquilegias has affected my national plant collections.
I have written 10 informative photo-webpages about it.
Please share the link, as I think the best control will be early identification if it gets into your garden / alpine house:
http://www.touchwoodplants.co.uk/aquilegia-downy-mildew.htm This is related to downy mildew of impatiens only because it is a downy
mildew. Currently scientists have no idea from where it has arisen.
Downy mildews are more like blights than like powdery mildew.
Spores may live many years in soil, and I do not know whether winter weather
makes much difference (here last winter was extremely mild, usually a wet
zone 8/9) warm and wet spring/summer/autumn conditions encourage rapid spread (like eg
potato blight conditions)
Best Wishes,
Carrie Thomas
Tel 01792 522443
'Touchwood', 4 Clyne Valley Cottages, Killay, Swansea, SA2 7DU South Wales, UK
www.touchwoodplants.co.uk : Seeds & plants by post. Aquilegia specialist.
