Landscape Design

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119 Concord Place
Syracuse, New York
13210-2649
Phone/Fax: 315-471-5854
info@tlehcs.com

Pest Identification and Management

Pruning Recommendations

Lawn Care Recommendations

Landscape and Lawn Management Plan Development

Lawn, Landscape and Garden Coaching

Landscape and

Lawn Management Services

Pest Identification and Management

While the vast majority of the plants in your landscape are likely doing well it's very frustrating when one begins to decline - and often raises concerns about the health of other plants in your landscape.Most of the plants in your landscape are probably doing well - some may even be doing too well! Therefore, it can be very frustrating and cause for concern when a plant fails to thrive, or has been doing well and suddenly begins to decline - like the large `Crimson King' Norway maple tree in the photo at right.

The worm-like larvae of Bronze Birch Borers feed on the living cambial layer of cells beneath the bark of European white and Paperbark birch trees. This feeding injury gradually kills white-barked birch trees from the top down.Often, when we see a plant start to decline our first reaction is to assume that some sort of insect or disease is involved.

Severe apple scab infections often cause the leaves of susceptible crabapple trees to drop by late July. Fortunately the infection doesn't harm the trees.That certainly can be the case, for example, when an infestation of Bronze Birch Borer larvae gradually girdle the trunk of European white and Paperbark birch trees (photo at left). On the other hand, while dramatic - and frustrating - severe apple scab infestations on crabapple (photo at right) do not harm infected plants and may not even occur in years having warm, dry spring weather.

I can help you figure out why plants in your landscape are not growing as vigorously as they should - and recommend appropriate treatments if warranted.

Right at ground level you can see how a large root has wrapped itself around the trunk of this Norway maple tree. Over a number of years this girdling root has killed the tree in the photograph at the top of this page. By the way, the decline affecting the Norway maple tree pictured above wasn't caused by an insect or disease. Rather, the tree was suffering from a common abiotic (non-living) affliction of Norway maple and littleleaf linden trees called "girdling roots" (photo at right). Therefore, no amount of pesticides - or fertilizer, for that matter - could have saved this tree!