Insects can cause significant damage to your landscape. This damage can result in costs to treat the damage or replace damaged plants. Managing insect pests is a very important part of landscape maintenance, and requires that you take an active role in protecting your plants and caring for them. Be sure to know what you are dealing with beforehand, and ensure that you are adequately prepared to combat insect pests, whether you use natural methods or synthetic methods.

The first thing that you need to recognize is that not all insects are pests. Some of them (like bees) actually provide helpful services and are part of a thriving ecosystem in your yard. Additionally, different insect pests cause different problems, and they should be treated differently. It is possible to treat most insects with pesticides, but it is important to note that when one uses these chemical solutions, they rarely distinguish between helpful insects and pests, and may kill insects that do no harm. If you can identify the pest that is causing a specific problem, then you can more effectively treat it using targeted methods of eradication.

For the best possible health to your landscape, prevention is the best way to avoid insect pests. There are many non-chemical management techniques that can be used to help prevent unwanted insects from even causing a problem. The best treatment is to keep plants in general good health. Healthy plants are more resistant to the vagaries of insect pests, and they will stand up to harsh measures if they have to be taken. Below are some general guidelines to help you have the healthiest possible plants and to help your landscape increase its defense against insects:

Choose your plants carefully. Make sure that they match the site in terms of soil type, drainage and sunlight received. Also select plants that are compatible with the climate in your region.

Plant varieties that are resistant to common pests. For instance, paper birch is especially susceptible to bronze birch borers, and may fall victim to these pests. Choose plants that are hardy and not often affected by the run of the mill insect.

Promote diversity by selecting plants that are resilient to different pests. Also, planting a variety of vegetation in your landscape can lead ensure that even if one particular plant is ravaged, that your entire landscape will not suffer. Diversity protects.

Promote the general health of your plants through proper care. Make sure that you follow a schedule of watering, pruning, mulching, and fertilizing. This will help the plants remain in good health.

Encourage natural enemies in the insect world. Insects eat other insects, and if you promote competition in that way, the populations will remain lower, and there will be less focus on your plants. A wide variety of flowering plants that bloom at different times throughout the growing season are especially good at encouraging natural enemies.

Monitor your plants regularly to ensure that an infestation does not have time to strengthen and take root. This way you can take care of the problem immediately. Some non-chemical methods that work very well in controlling insects are things like hard water sprays to keep aphid populations in check and cardboard or metal rolls that protect against cutworms. If the damage is not severe, it is possible to take no action against them, but this does carry with it a risk: it could become severe if not properly treated.

If you feel that using an insecticide is the only way to eliminate a pest problem that you have, be sure to use such chemicals with care. Determine whether the use of the pesticide will actually prevent significant damage from occurring. Try to treat the plants before the damage has occurred, so that the plant recovers better. If the insects have moved on, there is no reason to treat the plant, especially if damage has already occurred. The chemicals will affect the plant as well as the pests. Make sure you carefully read the label prior to buying your insecticide, and be sure to read the instructions before using. Also be concerned about how much you use. Too much insecticide can cause damage to your health, as well as to the health of your plants.

While many types of insects, birds and animals seen in the home are unwanted intruders, others play a vital role in pollinating plants and moving seeds from one place to another.  In fact, without these animal and insect helpers, most plants would be unable to reproduce.

Even though most gardeners understand how important this cycle of pollination and seed disbursal is, few fully understand why it occurs, or how it benefits both the plants and the animals. 

The rewards of pollination and seed disbursal to the plants are easy to determine – they get to spread their seeds far and wide, and start new plants in far off locations.  The rewards the insects, birds and mammals derive are many as well, and they include:
Nectar – nectar is actually a sugary solution, and therefore it is highly prized by all kinds of animals both for its good taste and for the ample energy it provides.  Getting at this nectar is what prompts most pollinating insects, birds and animals to do such a good job.  Nature has provided plants with various ways to attract pollinating insects, birds and animals.  Many types of flowers store their nectar in special glands called nectaries.  These nectar glands are most frequently found in flowers, but they are also sometimes contained in leaves or other parts of the plant as well.  Most plants are designed to protect their nectar stores from non-pollinating insects and animals, through the use of special storage locations that only pollinating insects can reach, for instance.  
The use of nectar and the plants, insects, birds and animals that depend on it is a fascinating study in co-evolution.  The sugar concentrations of many plant nectars have evolved to match the energy requirements of the types of animals, birds and insects that pollinate them.  For instance, bees require a 30-35% concentration of sugar in order to make the honey needed by their larvae in the winter.  Therefore, bees will not visit flowers whose nectar contains less than 30% sugar.  Therefore, the flowers and plants that depend on bees for pollination have evolved high concentrations of sugar in their nectar to attract these pollinators.
Pollen – Pollen is also used by flowers and plants to attract the insects, birds and animals they need.  Pollen is eaten by bees, and it is also used to make a substance called bee bread, which is a high protein combination of pollen and nectar.  This bee bread is used to feed the larvae, which require a high concentration of protein to grow and thrive.  Some plants, such as peonies, poppies and roses, use only pollen as a reward and produce no nectar at all.  Other types of plants produce two types of pollen – their normal pollen and a sterile pollen with is attractive to pollinating insects.  This evolutionary strategy ensures that the good tasting pollen will be eaten while the reproductive pollen will be spread to other areas by the insects, birds and animals that visit the plant.
Of course, this pollen and nectar does the plants no good if the birds, insects and animals cannot find it, and plants and flowers use their bright colors and strong scents to attract these animals and let them know that pollen, nectar, or both await them. 
Some pollinating species rely primarily on their sense of sight, and the bright flowers are used to attract their attention.  Other species, particularly nocturnal ones, rely primarily on smell.  It is the scent of the flowers that attracts these scent oriented pollinators.

Perennials are favored by many gardeners, not only for their ability to bloom for several seasons, but for the wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes they come in as well. 

Whereas annuals must be planted anew every season, perennials can be left in the ground to bloom for several seasons.  This makes gardening with perennials less costly and means that the perennial garden can be easier to maintain. 

In addition, most perennials are very easy to work with, and the demands they place on their gardeners are usually quite low.  Sufficient water, good soil and abundant sunshine are all most perennials need to provide beautiful blooms all season longs.

There are several important considerations with perennials, however, given the nature of their growth.  Since perennials remain in the ground year after year instead of being started fresh every season, they are more prone to disease and insect infestation than shorter lived annual plants.  This means that the gardener must be on the lookout for any signs of disease or unwanted insects, since an unnoticed infection can quickly spread through the entire garden.

The best way to avoid disease and other problems in the perennial garden is to make sure the plants are as healthy and robust as they can be.  Healthier plants are naturally able to withstand disease and insects better than weaker ones, and an infection that would kill a weaker plant will be fought off by one in better condition. 

In addition, the gardener should be ready to immediately combat any diseases or infections that are found.  Keeping a supply of common fungicides and insecticides on hand is a good insurance policy when trouble strikes.  Perennials should regularly be inspected for signs of problems, such as wilting leaves, spots or holes in the leaves.  These can all be warning signs of problems with disease or insects.

It is a good idea to get in the habit of checking for such problems every time the garden is weeded, watered or otherwise tended to.  When watering perennials, it is generally best to water them deeply once a week instead of spraying them with a hose more often.  It is important not to encourage standing water on the leaves, as this can leave the plants vulnerable to fungal infections and other problems.  It is also important not to water the plants during the heat of the day, since watering then could cause tender foliage and flowers to suffer burns.

Watering deeply and less often is almost always preferable to watering more often and more shallowly.  Investing in a good soaker hose or drip irrigation system is a great idea for any perennial grower.

Since the key advantage of working with perennials is their ability to come back year after year, it is important to care for the plants properly after the current growing season has ended.  Most perennials should be pruned once a year, but it is important to pay attention to the specific requirements of each variety.  While some perennials benefit from a radical pruning in the winter, others need less pruning.  It is important to understand the exact requirements of your particular plants.

One of the many advantages of growing perennials is the ability of these beautiful flowers to return to full bloom season after season. While this ability to bloom repeatedly is one of the things that makes perennials so special, it also introduces a number of important factors into your gardening plan. One of the most important of these is a proper pest control regimen.

While a garden full of annuals starts each season as a blank slate, the perennial garden is essentially a work in progress. The fact that the plants stay in the ground through winter makes things like proper pruning, disease management and pest control very important. If the garden bed is not prepared properly after the current growing season, chances are the quality of the blooms will suffer when the next season rolls around.

One of the most important factors to a successful perennial pest control regimen is the attention and vigilance of the gardener. As the gardener, you are in the best position to notice any changes in the garden, such as spots on the leaves, holes in the leaves, or damage to the stems. Any one of these could indicate a problem such as pest infestation or a disease outbreak.

It is important to nip any such problem in the bud, since a disease outbreak or pest infestation can easily spread to take over an entire garden. Fortunately for the gardener, there are a number of effective methods for controlling both common pests and frequently seen plant diseases.

Some of these methods are chemical in nature, such as insecticides and fungicides, while others are more natural, like using beneficial insects to control harmful ones. While both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, many gardeners prefer to try the natural approach first, both for the health of the garden and the environment.

There is an additional benefit of the natural approach that many gardeners are unaware of. These days, it is very popular to combine a koi pond with a garden, for a soothing, relaxing environment. If you do plan to incorporate some type of fish pond into your garden landscape, it is critical to avoid using any type of insecticide or fungicide near the pond, since it could seep into the water and poison the fish. Fish are extremely sensitive to chemicals in the environment, especially with a closed environment like a pond.

As with any health issue, for people or plants, prevention is the best strategy to disease control and pest control alike. The best defense for the gardener is to grow a garden full of the healthiest, most vigorous plants possible. Whenever possible, varieties of plants bred to be disease or pest resistant should be used. There are a number of perennials that, through selective breeding, are quite resistant to the most common plant diseases, so it is a good idea to seek them out.

There are fond memories of find birds’ nests in the yard, and watching eggs hatch. Additionally, the sounds of birds chirping in the morning can provide a great natural alarm clock. There are many pleasing benefits associated with birds in the landscape, and with careful planning, it is possible to attract birds to the landscape, providing you with many obvious benefits, and with some that may not seem so easy to see. Attracting birds with trees that provide shelter, offering food through feeders and through certain plants, and by make the landscape an altogether inviting place, is a fairly easy thing to do, and with a little planning, you can reap all the benefits that grow out of actively inviting birds to be a part of your landscape.

Increased wildlife population. Biodiversity has been shown to be a very important part of our ecology. By inviting bird populations into your yard, you are encouraging this necessary part of our ecosystem. If you have a good landscaping plan to attract birds, you are likely to double the number of birds on your property.

Soil conservation. Landscape plants that birds like, such as trees, shrubs, and some flowers, actually help retain soil. Additionally, when birds cause some fruits to fall to the ground, they provide organic sources of compost and mulch. These things help reduce soil erosion and increase the number of nutrients in the soil.

Energy conservation. Conserving energy results directly in savings in the pocketbook. When you conserve energy with well thought out landscaping, you will save money in costs to heat and cool your home. Birds are attracted to large trees, and so if you carefully plan where to place trees like large evergreens and hardwoods, you can provide shelter for the birds and keep your home better protected from the elements.

Birdwatching. Birding is fast becoming one of the more popular hobbies in the United States. This is because it can be very relaxing to watch birds. Additionally, it can be a lot of fun to identify species and check off the species you see in the yard. Birdwatching also makes a great family activity. You can spend quality time with your family, while teaching your children to appreciate and enjoy nature. Some birdwatchers report a count of over 190 different species visiting their yards.

Wildlife photography. This is another great hobby that allows people time to enjoy nature. Studies have been done that prove the efficacy of nature in helping mental health and helping people for connected and a better sense of self. There is no need for professional equipment. Most of the fun is just snapping pictures. Then a scrapbook can be made of bird pictures, and this can result in a great sense of accomplishment.

Natural insect control. Insects can be somewhat annoying, and birds eat insects. By designing a landscape that attracts birds, you will find that they come and quite often eat the insects that plague your enjoyment in your yard. Without resorting to possibly harmful pesticides, you can control the insect populations in your yard.

Natural beauty. Birds are a part of the natural habitat. This means that when you create a natural landscape design that attracts birds, you are enjoying a more natural state. As mentioned before, many studies find a correlation to feelings of wellbeing and exposure to nature. You can improve your quality of life by creating a nature-filled landscape that includes birds.

Increased property value. Your carefully designed landscape provides more than just value for birds and intrinsic value for you. Property values go up when attractive landscaping is present. When you have an attractive home, it is worth more in hard cash. This means that carefully chosen plants can not only enhance your enjoyment of a home by attracting birds, but can cause an increase in the amount of money you can expect to get when you decide to sell.

Child development. Having a natural-looking habitat that attracts birds can also attract children. It makes an interesting place for children to play. Plus, it can help them develop a lifelong love of nature, conservation, and wildlife. This betters the world for the future and is part of helping your children become a more rounded people who enjoy doing more than just sitting in front of the TV or computer.