There are several signs to look for when purchasing plants, any sign of stress is bad news. These signs include yellowing or drooping leaves, spots on the top or under belly of the leave, bugs, and roots coming out of the bottom of the pot. There are many reasons for the plant to find itself in such a sad state; it could mean poor care by the greenhouse or nursery professional, it could be a result of bad weather or it could be a weak plant that is prone to problems. Here are some pictures to help you better associate these problems:
Select the picture to learn more about each problem.
Root Bound Plant
Lack of Iron
Burned Leaves
Over Watering
Bugs and Discoloration
Mites on the under belly of an Azalea that cause the leaves to fade.
Aphids
Eggs on the under belly
Black Spot and Iron Deficiency
Virus on the Vinca
When we encounter these problems at the store we treat it accordingly and rarely do we ever have any additional problems. Usually, I see these issues when customers bring in samples from their yards. The best way to keep a problem free yard is to pay attention to your plants. That way when you find a problem it can be fixed quickly. It is always a good idea to bring a sample in a plastic bag to the garden center to get a professional evaluation of your problem.
View from the Porch
This is the walkway from the front of the house to the back kitchen door. This area is primarily used for utility purposes, like the trash. It is hard to roll the trash cans in and out of this space and it looks really bad. My idea for this space is to increase the hard surface and grow a vine on the fence. When I demo this area it will give me the ability to correct the drainage problems and install irrigation.
Walkway to Kitchen Door
Walkway Problems
This is the corner of the house and a contiuation of the cracked walkway. All of this is coming up and I am going to connect the beds viually while keeping the access to the utility area.
Left Side of House
Right Side of House
These two pictures are of the front entry of the house. Here you can see the small amount of work that I have done. It is a low maintenace simple landcape, in the spring and fall I plant color along the front and it looks really good. I am just ready for the rest of the house to reflect these beds.
I have taken my pictures and measurements, thought long and hard about what I want to accomplish. Now it is time to plan the design and get the materials.
