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NJ Gov. Corzine has backed off on his plan to cut the NJ Department of Ag but is planning to cut its funds drastically. His goal is about a reduction of 18% while the average for other departments is about 6%.   I understand the need to cut costs in our government but lets keep it a fair funding across the board. The NJDA has always been an exceptional agency that contributes in many ways to the quality of life in New Jersey. This Department has already been working on a reduced budget.  New Jersey has been considered the Garden State and the NJDA has done much to keep this image up and stimulate our economy and society with its efforts. Look at the work done in preserving the farms and green lands of our state.  Please help however you can in supporting NJ agriculture and preserving this Department. Contact your representatives as quickly as possible and urge them to keep any cuts in the budget at an equal level.. 

You can go to this page to find your NJ legislators- http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/

New Jersey is one of the best states for gardening for many reasons. Our climate is good, our soils decent, and we are gifted with some of the best growers in the country. There are a wide range of plants for us to make use of in gardening. 

    The Plants Page will contain some of the best new or under used plants for our area. There are pages with information on annuals, perennials,  shrubs, and herbs. You can also find pages that address more specific areas, such as Butterfly plants, Daylilies, Ornamental grasses, Hosta, and others. We put a strong emphasis on locally grown plants. They have been acclimated to our area, withstood our weather changes, and proven themselves here. We will also try to show some of the problems that NJ gardeners are encountering and what may help against these problems.

  Please support your local nursery, greenhouse grower, and garden center. Our links page includes some of the best of them as well as other informational sites. New Jersey growers are faced with a wide range of different challenges and have proven to be an adaptable, imaginative, and interesting group. There are a number of people in agriculture who help to make gardening in New Jersey more enjoyable. I hope to let you know some of them better. A good place to start is on the Union County Board of Agriculture's Union County Jersey Fresh Website.  

Well Spring has happened! Been a good one overall. Little dry for April but the cool weather has kept things looking good. Hopefully a little rain this week!

Wildlife problems have been on the increase for a few years and last year was no exception. There are few areas in Union County that deer damage is not occurring. Ground hogs squirrels and rabbits caused damage in yards. The geese prove to be a major nuisance in parks and open areas.

      2/20/07 NJ Department of Agriculture feels that the Asian Long-horned beetle has been checked but lets remain  aware of the potential of the pest. Please go to this page to learn more about this potentially devastating pest- Asian Long-Horned Beetle.   If you suspect any problems and cannot identify, please bring a sample in.  Call or write us for any further questions. There has been further infestations on the ALB found in Rahway/Carteret and Clark, which is getting too close to me. The trees were originally spotted by a homeowner so it is shown how important it is for all of us to keep an eye out for this pest. This quarantine area has been increased and over 8000 trees have been removed. 

New problem on hosta to be aware of Hosta Virus X- please go here to learn more- Click here

 One problem that is still a concern is Crown Rot on Hosta and Daylilies. All gardeners need to be aware of this problem. Visit here for more information.

These new coleus are hot. Heres a very cool site on them-

http://www.coleusfinder.org/names