The concept of Plant Health Care (PHC) stems from the environmentally sensitive approach to pest control in the garden called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM practices are more holistic than the name implies and include all aspects of the garden’s health, not just how to kill the bugs the most environmentally friendly way. PHC is the first step to successful IPM techniques being utilized in your own garden. Plant health care is a change in both attitude and technique in garden maintenance and has been being utilized by professional landscape companies that practice organic only gardening techniques for years. (And as my company is one of them, I can speak from 15 years experience that these techniques do work.)
Turns out bugs are not your worst enemy in the garden. Many folks see things going wrong with a plant in the garden and think bugs first, however most of the time this is not the case. For example, at the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory at WSU in Puyallup half the plants submitted for diagnosis were not affected by insect pests or disease organisms but rather were sick due to cultural and environmental factors such as drought stress, winter damage and over watering.
Plant Health Care (PHC) “sees proper culture as the foundation of healthy landscapes and emphasizes working with nature rather than fighting it with a ‘Learn Your Ecosystem’ approach.”
- Identify plants. The first step in implementing a PHC system for your yard is to identify and list all of the plants in your yard. Once you know what plants are in your yard and garden you will then be able to research them for their cultural needs, most common pest problems and common environmental problems. While researching you may discover that you have some of the key plants that are the most problem prone and require the most attention. If this task sounds too daunting then contact a quality local landscape company and ask for a consultation for plant identification.
- Key problems. Once you know what kind of plants you have you can then identify key problems both biotic (insects, fungi, slugs, deer etc.) and abiotic (non-living factors such as weather, irrigation, soil fertility). Key problems are the first things to look for as they are the most likely to be impacting a plants health. ( for example; rhododendrons usually suffer from either root weevils or poor drainage. )
- Study landscapes ecosystem. Become aware of climatic factors such as minimum temperatures, prevailing winds, seasonal patterns of precipitation and the amount of sun received in different areas of the garden. Knowing the wet spots, hot spots, dry spots etc. will enable you to match the right plants to the different habitats in your yard. Also understand what kind of soils you have in different areas and how they drain – there may be clay in one sunny area and sand in another where it is shady and these very different cultures may be only a back yard apart from each other. This can make a huge difference in what plants will thrive in these very different locations.
- Monitor. A large part of PHC is to monitor your garden on a regular basis (or hire a professional landscape service that understand PHC to do maintenance for you.) Monitoring at least every two weeks during the growing season of Spring - Summer and at least once a month during the Fall - Winter is essential. When out in the garden check for signs of plant distress (wilting leaves, yellowing leaves, die back) and be on the look out for developing pest problems (aphids, chew holes on leaves). Concentrate your monitoring on the key plants that get the key problems to start and you will develop your eye for problems over time as you observe for many seasons.
Once you know what you have and know what is going on with your ecosystems you will have the knowledge to optimize your plants health.
This begins with smart planting in the first place. If you have found you have a lot of problem plants then the best thing to do in the long run may be to replace them with plants properly suited to the conditions and climate you have to work with. This will also give you an opportunity to create more diversity in the garden, which naturally limits infestations. The addition of Native plants is an excellent choice to create the right diversity in your yard for a sustainable ecosystem.
Once these changes have been made and you have the “right plant in the right place” then you must employ good cultural practices to ensure future health: Improve you soil with mulch and organic matter, pay careful attention to watering and, very importantly, prune only in the correct season for the individual plant.
Once cultural and environmental problems have been minimized then many garden problems are naturally avoided – think of it as preventative medicine! Healthy plants are naturally able to withstand insect and disease damage and small infestations will work them selves out in a healthy ecosystem. If problems do arise then an IPM approach can then be used with great success.
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Water has a close association with life itself. Lush verdant environments thrive on it. Too much water can cause problems too. Before we picture homes sliding down hillsides we picture mold and fungus showing up on lower siding and trim. Many plants languish in saturated soil without air to their roots. You may want to contact a 
Ahhh, mistakes in the garden – we have all made them and the trouble is that sometimes takes a season or two, or even a few years, before we realize what we have done. When you choose the wrong paint for a room it can be fixed pretty quickly but no so in the garden, so here are some hints on how to take the ‘Oops!’ out of your landscape.
If you are fortunate enough to have a small forest of trees in your yard you might wonder how you can contain them. Trees can be both a very beautiful part of a landscape and very effective at blocking out much desired sun. How should you go about altering them or simply maintaining them? In most cases what is best for the tree is best for the homeowner. Sometimes the needs of man and nature collide. Here are some basic principals:
KATSURA- I have mentioned this plant in a previous post and I put it first in this list – The dry leaves when shuffled thru (or when you are raking them up) smell like cotton candy! The various colors during the change is what I love the most about this tree – as some of it’s leaves are still green, some are fading yellow and others into reds and purples (depending on which species you plant)…all happening at once!
FOTHERGILLA (Mt. Airy) - Mt. Airy is the mid-sized version of this amazing Fall color plant. It’s considered to be the best one for various changes in the leaves. There are also dwarf and larger versions that can be used for drama, as a back drop plant or as spots of color. It also has a 3-4″ cone flower in summer.
RHUS (Sumac) – The Rhus family is large… And here in the Northwest we usually plant the Staghorn or Lace leaf varieties but all Sumac species thrive in almost any soil as long as they are well drained. The females have the red cone seed pod that birds love.
STEWARTIA – These trees are happy in organically enriched, slightly acid and woodland gardens so they are a perfect understory tree for a woodsy garden. There are a few different species but all are slow growing, all season performers. They have large white flowers in the spring and beautiful glossy leaves for the Spring and Summer, amazing fall color in the Fall and, depending on the species, smooth bark that flakes off in varying degrees (like a birch) with patterns of different colors.
BLUEBERRIES- Gorgeous purple fruit high in antioxidants that even kids love to eat plus gorgeous fall color to boot – need I say more?
Bamboo – This amazing plant is just too dangerous to let get loose in your backyard garden. Even clumping varieties with proper barriers installed can cause problems eventually. Bamboo can be an excellent addition to the garden but keep it in a pot on a deck or patio so it never gets free. Or you can insert pots of bamboo into the garden for texture – just be sure to lift the pot a few times a year and cut off any roots trying to sneak out. Bamboo planted in a pot will live for years and you can divide them every few years in 4ths and double your pots of bamboo in no time – creating that grove you always wanted – just on your patio!
Beautiful and usable yards are a blend of hardscapes and planted areas, of places to be and places to see. Defining areas is a process of creating outdoor rooms without walls and sometimes with borders that are intentionally fuzzy. Pavers can provide both natural looking patio areas and softer looking paths through a number of design options. Pavers are easier to conform to irregular terrain changes. They aren’t a choice you make to save money over a poured concrete slab, but rather for different looks and options possible. Pavers are more eco-friendly as they allow rainwater to soak in rather than contribute to runoff. Pavers also allow for later changes, redesigns, and access should you need to run a plumbing or electrical line. So, what should you look for in a quality project?
