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Spotting Tree, Shrub, and Flower Diseases to Maintain a Healthy Landscape

Updated: Jun 3



Healthy trees, shrubs, and flowers are essential to maintaining a beautiful and thriving healthy landscape. However, diseases can threaten the vitality of your plants, turning your garden from lush to lackluster. Knowing how to identify common plant diseases and understanding when it's time to call in a professional landscaper can save your garden from severe damage. Here’s what to look for and when to seek expert help.

 

Common Signs of Plant Diseases

Different diseases affect trees, shrubs, and flowers in various ways, but there are some common symptoms to watch for:

 

Discoloration

  • Leaves: Yellowing, browning, or mottled patterns on leaves can indicate nutrient deficiencies, fungal infections, or viruses.

  • Flowers: Faded or off-colored blooms may signal fungal infections or environmental stress.

Wilting or Drooping

  • Plants that appear to be wilting or drooping despite adequate watering may be suffering from root rot, fungal infections, or vascular diseases.

Spots and Lesions

  • Dark, sunken spots on leaves, stems, or flowers are often signs of fungal or bacterial infections.

Powdery Mildew

  • A white or gray powdery substance on leaves or stems indicates a fungal infection that can stunt plant growth.

Mold and Mildew

  • Black, sooty mold on leaves is usually a secondary infection caused by aphid or scale insect infestations.

Unusual Growths

  • Galls, cankers, or abnormal growths on stems, leaves, or roots can indicate bacterial or fungal infections.

Dieback

  • When branches or stems die back from the tips, it can be a sign of fungal infections, root problems, or environmental stress.

Leaf Drop

  • Premature leaf drop or extensive leaf loss can indicate root issues, fungal infections, or severe environmental stress.

 

Specific Diseases to Watch For

Trees

  • Dutch Elm Disease: Yellowing leaves, wilting, and branch dieback.

  • Oak Wilt: Leaf discoloration, wilting, and rapid death of branches.

  • Anthracnose: Leaf spots, twig blight, and premature leaf drop.

Shrubs

  • Boxwood Blight: Dark leaf spots, stem lesions, and defoliation.

  • Fire Blight: Blackened leaves and branches, often appearing as if scorched.

  • Powdery Mildew: White, powdery growth on leaves and stems.

Flowers

  • Botrytis Blight: Gray mold on flowers and leaves, leading to rot.

  • Downy Mildew: Yellow or white patches on leaves with a downy underside.

  • Rust: Orange or reddish spots on leaves, stems, and flowers.

 

While minor issues can often be managed with DIY solutions, certain situations warrant the expertise of a professional landscaper:

 

Persistent Problems

  • If you’ve tried multiple treatments and the disease persists or recurs, it’s time to call in a professional.

Severe Infestations

  • When the disease has spread extensively and is causing significant damage, professional intervention is necessary to prevent further loss.

Tree Diseases

  • Diseases affecting large trees, especially those near your home or other structures, require professional assessment and treatment due to the complexity and potential risks involved.

Unknown Issues

  • If you can’t identify the disease or are unsure of the appropriate treatment, a landscaper can diagnose the problem and recommend effective solutions.

Preventative Care

  • Regular inspections and preventative treatments by a professional can help catch diseases early and maintain the overall health of your landscape.

 

It’s important to know when to look for these issues and catch them before they kill your investment and/or spread to other areas…which can lead to a costly replacement of softscapes.

 

If you are looking for a professional landscaping company to help to help with your treat diseases within your landscaping or give you landscaping ideas in Metamora, Germantown Hills, Peoria, East Peoria, Washington, Morton and surrounding areas? Contact Barrow Landscapes for all your landscaping needs.

 

Barrow Landscapes offers Hardscapes including Paver Walkways, Retaining Walls, Paver Patios to Softscapes including landscape plantings, lawn install and repair, and privacy plantings. Barrow Landscapes also offers landscape lighting and 2D and 3D landscape designs so their clients’ can visualize their dream landscapes with unparalleled clarity and confidence, making informed decisions bringing outdoor visions to life.

 

Call Barrow Landscapes at 309-370.6299 or visit BarrowLandscapes.com. Make an appointment today to get your landscape visions started.

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