At 9 a.m. Saturday, the Adams County Master Gardeners will host a hands-on demonstration of the proper pruning of crepe myrtle trees.  These trees are truly a treasure and a perfect example of our Natchez pride. If you would like to join us and learn more, please bring gloves, hand pruners, loppers, pads for kneeling or sitting on the ground, and drinking water. 

Mr.Henry Upshaw, Detention Alternatives Director for Adams County Youth Court recently contacted me to request assistance to learn the proper pruning of the crepe myrtle trees at the Youth Center on the corner of State Street and Pearl Street.

When I met with Mr. Upshaw, he showed me the trees in question.  He said that he had personally planted them and feared that someone might decide some of the trees were hindering parking or find some other reason to cut them improperly.  It was easy to see his pride and appreciation of their beauty and his desire to protect them; and he was eager to learn.  These young trees are in pristine condition, just in need of a little coaxing to grow to be beautiful mature trees.

In the near future we will hold demonstrations at other locations to teach remedies for mistakes made by well-intentioned but misinformed pruners.  At our future events we will give advice about this problem and we will offer demonstrations of ways to help them recover. 

Some people have thought that removal of the blooms and the tops of these trees will force new flowering.  While this might be true, the risk is that unsightly knots and knuckles appear at the site of the cut.  This also upsets the natural form of the tree and makes the tree vulnerable to disease. 

Besides, the beauty of the crepe myrtle is not limited to the blooming season alone.  When the trees are bare the bark is beautiful to behold.  We really should respect Mother Nature’s planned performance, instead of attempting to manipulate flowering.

Adams County Master Gardeners are focused on education and classes are currently being planned, to take place at the Adams County Extension Service Building, 75A Carthage Point Road-Natchez, MS

Classes will meet from 1 to  5 p.m on Tuesdays and Thursdays  from March 9 through April 13. 

Topics of study will be: soils, botany, invasive plants, plant diseases, ornamentals, lawns, weeds, pest control, plant propagation, fruits and nuts, vegetables, and more.

The Master Gardener Association is a volunteer organization through the Mississippi State University Extension Service. After training, the interns are required to participate in 40 hours of volunteer service in the first year to become certified Master Gardeners.

As an example of the service provided by Adams County Master Gardeners, Natchez recently received expert guidance with a potential disaster.  The threat of Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale blight was evident in many of our downtown trees, but the local master gardeners jumped right in and assisted with the cure. Our volunteers pitched in, helping to avert a potential disaster by systematically moving throughout downtown Natchez, applying the remedy.

Registration is required by February 23, 2017.

For more information call 601-445-8201 or go to:  http://msucares.com/lawn/master_gardener/index.html (application).

Rita Tebbets is an Adams County Master Gardener.