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.

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.

Even the most seasoned gardeners will have a question about their garden once in a while, and you can bet that beginners will be full of questions.  Gardening magazines can help with questions that arise involving nearly every aspect of gardening.  Not only will gardening magazines give instructions on gardening, they also provide readers with the latest news in the gardening world.

Gardening magazine subscribers are privy to all of the latest information regarding things such as new gardening tools, fertilizers, and pesticides that are introduced to the market.  For example, there are always new programs and clubs for gardeners to join, or perhaps a local gardening class that is available.  When new tools are produced, such as a new kind of blower or vacuum, or new kinds of lawn mowers or tillers that are available, a gardening magazine is the best place to get all of the information.  Not only will these magazines tell you about these products, they will also give you options on where to find them and for the lowest costs.

Gardening magazines offer hints and tips on how to rid your garden of those ever pesky insects.  They will also discuss the many ways to recognize and fight diseases that may overtake your plants.  The information you get from these magazines could be what ends up saving your garden.

Gardening magazines usually come with a gardening maintenance section that will instruct readers on things like how to prune, when to divide, which fertilizers would be better for your plants, and how much to water.  They provide simple, easy to understand instructions on everything from how to deal with weeds to planting tulips.

Gardening magazines give ideas about landscaping and, if enforced, could change the entire outlook of your yard or flower garden.  Garden designs can be difficult at best, and magazines can supply gardeners with inspiration and ideas on what will look good and suit their area.

Garden magazines also give subscribers the chance to write questions to be published so that they can get a specific answer from a gardening professional.  They also provide gardeners with the chance to share their knowledge and expertise with the public by submitting articles of their choice for publication.  One of the highest honors in gardening is to have your lawn or garden displayed in a magazine for everyone to see.  It is definitely the pinnacle of gardening.

Gardening magazines provide gardeners with inspiration, ideas, instruction, and even entertainment. Many times gardening magazines will also provide readers with coupons that they can use to purchase items that will either improve, enlarge, or enhance their gardens.  Gardening magazines are a primary source for both beginner and experienced gardeners everywhere to get all the latest news and age old gardening traditions at the same time.

You’ve probably heard the phrase: every rose has its thorn.  Too many, thorns symbolize the danger that lurks behind the beauty of the roses, and all sorts of myths try to explain the presence of these dangerous little daggers on rose stems.  Greek myth suggests that Cupid shot arrows into the roses accidentally after being stung by a bee and it was the sting from his arrow that caused the thorns to take root.

Don’t despair if these little daggers are a thorn in your side.  With a little care and some patience, you can remove those pesky thorns for a nice smooth stem on your rose.

Thorns do actually help the plant drink water, so it is important that you remove them properly and do not inflict excessive damage on the stem.  You need to take your time and practice a proper dethorning technique – otherwise you and the rose will be injured in the process.

Carelessly removing thorns will damage your roses in the long run.  They will not last as long as they should and any peeled or torn skin will hinder the amount of water that makes its way up to the petals.  Proper dethorning takes practice and patience.

You can remove thorns right on the plant, or you can wait until the stem is cut and do it then.  It is best to try and remove thorns on the cane when it is quite young and before the rose blooms if you know that the stem will be cut at some point in the future for display or for the creation of a bouquet.  You can remove thorns by applying slight pressure to the sides to simply push them off the stem.  You can use this same procedure with cut stems.

Removing thorns by hand is a tedious task, and with some roses, the thorns grow so close together that it is almost impossible to push one off without stabbing yourself on another one.  That’s where a dethorning tool can come in handy.

You can purchase a specialty product like a thorn stripper.  This type of tool strips the stem of leaves and thorns. You can also fashion your own with some metal strapping from your local hardware store.  If you do make your own, be sure to file the edges that touch the flower so the stem is not torn excessively in the dethorning process.

To use a dethroning tool, you simply hold it just below the flower and close the jaws together around the stem. Be sure that you don’t use too much pressure when closing the jaws of the stripper because you could damage or even severe the stem.  Lightly drag the dethorner down the stem.  The thorns should pop right off.  It may take a bit of practice to get the hand of a thorn stripper, but after a few tries you should have a good idea of how much pressure is needed to remove the thorns.

You can also remove thorns with a knife.  All you need to do is scrape the stem of the rose with a sharp floral or small pairing knife.  If you are removing thorns from the cut stem, then you might consider only removing the thorns and leaves that lie below the water level.

You want to think carefully about whether or not you need to remove all the thorns from your roses.  It is important to remove rose thorns when the flowers will be in a hand held bouquet or worn on the lapel.  When placing cut stems in a vase for display, you should remove the thorns that will be below the surface of the water, but you don’t need to take off those that will be above water level.  Removing thorns can shorten the life of your roses so be sure that you aren’t over dethorning your blooms.

An important time to do some dethorning, though, is when you are preparing plant litter for your compost pile.  After pruning off any dead or decaying canes from your rose bush, you should consider removing the thorns before tossing the old stems into your compost pile.  Removing the thorns will make it safer for you to work and exposing the stem in this way will also help sped up the decomposition process.

Insects can cause a lot of problems in a lawn. They can eat the grass blades, attack the roots, or just be a nuisance. The best way to get rid of an insect problem in your lawn is to call a professional, but if you want to do the work yourself, you should make sure you can identify some of the more common lawn insects.

First on the list is the immortal aphid. Aphids feed on all types of vegetation and come in a few varieties. If you get white pine aphids in your yard, they may not cause damage to your grass, but they can get into any decorative trees you may have and wreak havoc. There are many species, so if you think you do have an aphid problem, the best thing to do is consult a professional.

If you live in the southern part of the United States then you are likely familiar with a major turf pest: the armyworm. An armyworm is a moth in its larval form. They feed directly on turf grasses and will chew them all the way down to the ground. They most often appear in the fall as they feed to store up for the winter. Armyworms can cause a great deal of damage to a lawn if left untreated.

Another tough pest is the billbug. There are a number of different species of billbugs that attack different types of turf grass. The adults grow to about ¾ of an inch in length and can be identified by a long snout. These beetles will burrow in the grass stems right up by the surface of the soil. They also will feed directly on the grass leaves.

Another lawn pest is the chigger. Chiggers don’t really do damage to the lawn itself, but if you plan to enjoy your lawn with your family, you don’t want a chigger problem. Chiggers are a type of mite that will attach themselves to your skin. Once they are attached they release a point that causes severe itching and stinging so that they may get access to blood. They are very tiny, so often only their effects are seen rather than the mites themselves.

Another moth larva that can cause a real problem is the cutworm. Cutworms are a spotted gray or black caterpillar that is about 2 inches in length. They will hide in the soil of your lawn during the day, and then they will come out at night to feed on your grass. They can do severe damage to Bermuda grasses, bent grasses and rye grasses which are their preferred food.

Another very destructive larva is that of several beetles, including the Japanese beetle. That, of course, there is the grub. Grubs live below the surface of the lawn and feast on the roots of grass plants. This eventually destroys the plant. Generally grubs do most of their damage during the late summer months. The resulting damage, though, may not be apparent to the eye until fall rolls around and it is too late. If you are susceptible to grub problems, you should try to get your lawn treated in the early summer when the grubs are most susceptible to treatments and pesticides.

Leafhoppers are a tiny, but damaging, little pest. They are wedge shaped hopping and flying insects that are generally green in color. There are many species of leaf hopper, but most all of them love to feast on lawns. They climb onto the blades of the grass and suck the sap from the stems and leaves. The damage they cause can sometimes be so severe that lawns have to be reseeded. If you see white patches showing up in your yard, you may have a leaf hopper problem and should get it treated as soon as possible.

Insects, worms, and bugs can cause a lot of problems for an otherwise healthy lawn. There are countless types of these pests and many species within each type, but no matter which pest it is, quick identification and treatment is important. It is recommended that you consult a professional before treating your lawn, but by identifying the problem early you may be able to get a jump on it before things get too serious.