Late Summer Notes

Just some quick notes from this growing season that I've been hearing from fellow gardeners: 

• Green Beans:  the bush beans are mostly finished and many gardeners have either no pole beans or they are very late blooming like mine.  In fact my are just blooming so by the end of the months I should have pole beans.
• Zinnias:  are looking good with this nice warm weather they are blooming well. Hope that continues to frost. 
• Lilacs:  Many gardeners are reporting that their lilacs are dropping leaves. What's going on? A response from the USDA about this provides an excellent analysis of the potential issues.( https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=881100 ) In their response they state: "It could be a blight caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. Among other things, it is characterized by leaf spots that can lead to leaf darkening, leaf wilting, and premature leaf dropping. Fortunately, this is largely a cosmetic condition and unless it occurs over several seasons, there are no adverse effects. It is associated with wet conditions, which certainly describes our current 2024 season. Because this is NOT a fungal pathogen, application of fungicides will do no good. It can be transmitted from one season to the next via leaf debris. To prevent transmission from one season to the next, thorough fall cleanup is essential. "