When summer hit, it hit hard! We had a cold wet spring, followed by a HOT wet summer....which leads to questions like "Why are there spots on the leaves of my plants?", "Are those yellow spots in the lawn a chemical spill or something else?" or "What IS that mutant grass growing in my lawn?"
August is a prime month for plant disease and fungus to rear their ugly heads. Generally speaking, correcting your watering technique and providing better aeration will take care of the problem, as well as addressing timely tasks like removing infected foliage when it drops in the fall and fertilizing correctly (using soil tests). Chemical controls are also available, and usually involve multiple applications. Please be sure you've correctly identified the pathogen and read and apply all chemicals according to the label before proceeding. A couple of helpful sites: Gardening In Michigan- Michigan State University Extension Service Purdue University Extension Publications (P.S. I have new pictures coming! We've been busy creating and renovating landscapes all summer- and I have proof!) The web is such a fabulous source of information....as long as you take the time to verify it! On Fridays, I'm sharing some of my favorite links, blogs and shops with you. Enjoy!
Great Plant Picks From their website: Great Plant Picks (GPP) is an educational plant awards program of outstanding plants for the maritime Pacific Northwest. To date, over 800 exceptional plants have been selected for gardeners living west of the Cascade Mountain range from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia. Now, you may notice that this site is specific to the Pacific Northwest. You'll have to check the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone on your desired plant to see if it'll grow here in our Zone 6. Did you know that many of the plants available in garden centers here were actually grown in Oregon? That's why you'll occasionally find a plant marked perennial that doesn't make it through the first winter. For what it's worth, we get all the plants we install from great growers right here in Southwest Michigan! |
BIO:Anna and her husband Todd own Arcadia Gardens, LLC a Stevensville, MI based landscape design and build company. Her degree in Horticulture with a focus on landscape management from Michigan State University allows Anna to select plants specific to on-site conditions and with maintenance requirements that suit the client's needs. She is comfortable designing across a range of styles- from contemporary to classic- and makes a point to include the client's input throughout the design process. She is an active member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and is serving as 2014 President of the APLD-Michigan Chapter. Anna has recently contributed to media such as "The Designer" and Gardendesign.com and is qualified to speak on a variety of topics from landscape design and maintenance to addressing local garden clubs and organizations. Contact Us: |