Spotty geranium might be a lost cause

Q: I have a purple geranium I received as a gift that has spots on several leaves. The new growth is initially spared, then it also becomes spotted. I know that if it’s bacterial blight there is no cure. I’m hoping it’s something else affecting the plant and it can be treated with something bee-friendly. Thanks in advance for your help. — P.S., Albuquerque

A: I looked up geranium with spotted leaves and don’t have good news at all.

I, like you, think it could very well be a bacterial infection. It could also be a fungus. I’m not sure in the least.

Everything I have read suggests removing the infected leaves. Then, as you’re doing this chore, wipe down the scissor blades with isopropyl alcohol after each snip to help stop the spread of any disease to healthy tissue. From the photos sent to me, by removing all the spot-wearing leaves you are going to be left with have a pretty naked geranium.

In one of the photos, it looked like several leaves were wet. If you are watering your gift from overhead, you must stop. The splashing of the water will help spread any disease the plant could be infected with.

It’ll be a tough call, but you just might cut your losses and wish the geranium well, or keep it outdoors until it’s killed off this coming winter. I know of no way to suggest saving this creature. Apologies.

Q: I have noticed several flowering shrubs planted along the median on Central Avenue in the Old Town area that have clusters of dark red flowers. They are so showy right now. Do you have an idea as to what shrubs these blooming shrubs might be? — AF., Albuquerque

A: I believe the shrubs you are noticing are crape myrtles — Lagerstroemia — and right now, if you’re looking, you can see these shrubs showing off their blooms in lots of plantings.

They are called crape myrtle because the flowers look sort of crinkled like the craft crêpe paper. The nifty part about crape myrtles is they come in a bevy of different colors. Available at the retail level, usually in the spring, you should be able to find crape myrtle that would wear colors ranging from bright white, pale pinks, bright pink, the cheeriest reds and that deep red you’ve noticed blooming along that median planting near Old Town.

There is another long stretch of a crape myrtle planting here in Albuquerque along Menaul Boulevard, starting in the median headed east from Interstate 25 to just above University Boulevard. There, you can see shrubs that are in the pink ranges, a few whites and some reds. They are a colorful lot, for sure.

The crape myrtle is fairly easy to grow in fertile, good draining soil that is offered water on a regular basis. I wouldn’t consider crape myrtle xeric in any way, but they can handle and prefer to grow in spots that offer lots of sun and ample air circulation. Tucked up in a breezeless spot, the crape is prone to a malady called powdery mildew. Also, if sprinkled from overhead, that disease could become life-threatening for a crape.

You can and should consider pruning pretty hard each early spring to encourage the bushiness crapes are best known for. The crape myrtle blooms on the new wood it grows each season. Since they bloom in the late summer, you can cut them back early without a concern to keep them mannerly in their habit, knowing that they’ll show off with their bevy of blooms as the seasons progress.

Keep your eyes peeled for these happy bloomers and Happy Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson St. NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.