We had several walk-in clients this week with samples from their peach trees. The leaves were deformed, curled and discolored. What was the diagnosis? It is peach leaf curl. (Thank you, Nanette!)

Here is a link to the Hort Answers info on this fungal disease.

The HY&G Newsletter is now available free of charge! You can access it here and sign up to receive email alerts when a new issue is posted.

Click on the Insects and Plant Clinic tabs in the upper right of the newsletter page to see lists of the most recent articles. This is a great spot to learn about the horticulture hot topics in Illinois.

The 2009 MG Conference, Nuture Nature, Nurture You, will be held in Effingham, September 10th - 12th. The conference website is up and running. Registration will be open on June 15th.

Now is the time to start snapping pictures for the Illinois State Master Gardener Conference for 2009. From flowers to vegetables and from butterflies to wasps, find the category that best fits your image and submit it today!

There are Four Categories of entries in the contest:

Plants: Images should include plants.

Insects: Images should include insects.

Master Gardeners at Work: Images should include Master Gardener(s) or a product of their work. If the individuals are close enough to recognize, then a photo release form must be submitted with the entry and include the signature from the subject.

Illinois Public Gardens: Images should display a shot of any Illinois public garden or natural area.

Master Gardeners can submit one image per category and only one image per entrant will be selected to win. All entries must be submitted electronically via e-mail to modavid@illinois.edu
no later than August 11, 2009. Only one image per e-mail and the subject line must state "Master Gardener Digital Image Contest." Images must be submitted in jpeg format and should be approximately 1200 x 800 pixels. No panoramic images. They should be in natural color. Each image should be named as the Entrant's Name, Master Gardener County, and the Category of Entry. Example: "John C. Photographer, Smith County, Plants." Entries must be submitted by the original photographer. Entries not adhering to the above guidelines will not be considered. It is the sole responsibility of the entrant to make sure the image is received. The Master Gardener Digital Image Committee is not responsible for computer errors.

Entries will be judged prior to the Illinois State Master Gardener Convention by a panel of three judges. The top entry in each category will receive $25. All entries will be displayed in a slide show at the Master Gardener Convention. By submitting an entry you give permission for the digital image to be used for display and in PowerPoint show at the Illinois State Master Gardener Convention.