Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[Sally PB]

Has anyone seen the leaves on their lilac bushes turn brown and fall off? Not like an autumn turning; more like part of the leaf turns brown-black, the leaf dries up, and then falls.

This started back in late July here. Lots of bare stems. Some new leaf buds, a few new leaves. But the bushes look sickly. There are several places near me that have a border of bushes, and this is happening to them too.

One of my most favorite spring flowers is lilac. I love their smell. I will be very sorry to lose them if this is something fatal.

 

[saysfaa]

Is the bush/borders along the road?

 

[Sally PB]

Is the bush/borders along the road?

Some are along public roads. The ones along our driveway are having the same problem. We do not salt our driveway, at all, ever, so that's not what's going on with ours. I was wondering about that on one long stretch on a public road, but some of them look ok-ish, and some look terrible.

 

[saysfaa]

I wasn't thinking salt so much as herbicide. The county or someone sprays along the roads sometimes. It doesn't sound like either.

 

[Sally PB]

The county or someone sprays along the roads sometimes.

That could definitely be the case in some areas, as I've seen dead vegetation up to a certain level on a lot of roads. But not on our driveway. Still looking online to see if anyone else has seen this.
Just found this:
https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/lilac-issues-season
The picture looks like exactly what we have going on. Oh, man. This doesn't sound good.

 

[troyer]

Out lilac bush looks fine.

 

[Chickin Fairy]

All you guys talking about your gardening makes me feel super lazy! I have 18 tomato plants and have been steadily using them throughout the year. I have about 30 pepper plants of different varieties and some bug got to all of them early and killed a lot of them. I did manage to harvest several jalapeño and wax pepper before those plants stopped producing, and I have a nice sized baggy of scorpion peppers in the freezer for winter use. But, my herbs! I'll be harvesting basil, sage, spicy oregano, mint, and rosemary soon. I'm going to try the ice cube technique (where you mix fresh ground herbs with a mild oil and freeze in an ice cube tray, pop out and bag when frozen). Has anyone tried it?

I also have a crazy abundance of eggs. Finally no one is broody or moping about, so I'm back to full production. I waterglassed about 30 to get me through those times when I'm thinking I need to buy eggs from the market

My ladies are all molting a little bit, but they are happy. My lil guy is too funny. He crows whenever he hears someone. Sometimes I wanna go apologize to my neighbors for him crowing so much, but I'm sure they're fine with it.

Finally harvested my hops today, too! I love it when the fall is all about preservation for the winter that lies ahead.

 

[kcan2]

We stopped seeing the hummingbirds on the 23rd, does anyone else still have them?

@Sally PB I hope your lilacs pull through!

 

[Chickin Fairy]

We stopped seeing the hummingbirds on the 23rd, does anyone else still have them?

@Sally PB I hope your lilacs pull through!

I'll have to keep an eye out! We're in Southwest Michigan.

 

[Sally PB]

Finally harvested my hops today, too!

Do you brew your own beer? Or is there another use for hops?