Plant Problems

Learn how to avoid the many plant problems you'll run into when gardening - pests, diseases, and more. We provide treatment and prevention tips!

Top view, close-up of a flowering Goutweed plant. Goutweed, also known as Aegopodium podagraria, is a vigorous ground cover plant with distinctive foliage and tiny white flowers. Its leaves are deeply lobed, resembling small umbrellas, and emerge in dense clusters from creeping stems. The foliage is variegated, featuring shades of green and white. Goutweed produces delicate clusters of small white flowers held above the foliage on slender stalks.

Weeds

How Do You Get Rid of Goutweed?

Wondering where that pretty patch of variegated, flowering ground cover on the side of your house came from? Beginning to worry that it might take over your whole yard if you don’t do something to stop it? Goutweed is a problem plant for many gardeners in North America, but it can be eliminated if you’re committed to doing so. In this article, master gardener Liz Jaros tells you how to identify goutweed, discusses the problems it creates, and suggests some tried and true methods for getting rid of it.

Close-up of a Mossy rose gall on a rose bush against a blurred green garden background. Mossy rose gall appear as abnormal growths on rose plants, resembling small, moss-covered balls. This gall is a rounded structure covered with a moss-like coating of a reddish-green color.

Garden Pests

What Is Mossy Rose Gall? Fuzzy Growths on Rose Bushes

Are you witnessing strange, fuzzy, colorful growths on your roses? Are you worried about the health of your rose and its neighboring garden plants? If you live in the U.S., you may be one of the few affected by mossy rose gall. In this article, gardening expert Taylor Sievers discusses this peculiar garden phenomenon. Spoiler alert: the answer may not be what you think!

Close-up of tree bark infested with Honey Fungus in a garden against a blurred background. Honey Fungus, scientifically known as Armillaria mellea, is a destructive parasitic fungus that infests various woody plants, including trees and shrubs. It forms dense clusters of honey-colored toadstools with convex caps that flatten and darken with age. Part of the bark is covered with green moss.

Plant Diseases

Honey Fungus: Identification and Management

Despite its happy name, honey fungus is an insidious parasite that can kill off woody plants. In this article, we explore how this innocent-looking mushroom travels through the soil, infecting plants from the smallest seedlings to giant trees.

A raised wooden plant bed with rich soil nurtures a variety of plants, including fragrant peppermint and flavorful basil. The textured wood frame adds a rustic charm to the garden, creating a serene environment for the thriving greenery.

Garden Pests

13 Plants That Repel Garden Pests

Repelling nuisance pests in the garden can be a real challenge. There are plants that attract insects and plants that repel them. Read on as gardening expert Melissa Strauss shares 13 plants that will help keep garden pests at bay.

Close-up of trap slugs with beer in the garden. There is a red bowl full of slugs and beer. Slugs have soft, elongated bodies that are brownish-gray in color.

Garden Pests

Can You Trap Slugs With Beer?

It’s a damp spring, and there are sporadic, smooth holes in your beautiful garden greens. There are shiny trails of slime nearby. Ugh, slugs. We’ve all been there. So what to do? Join organic farmer Jenna Rich as she dives into the simple art of trapping slugs with beer.

Garden cart in the garden filled with cut weeds and grass. Cleaning weeds in the garden to reuse weeds. Yellow yarrows, daisies, lilies and other plants grow in the garden.

Weeds

7 Ways to Reuse Weeds in the Garden

In this article, gardening expert Kaleigh Brillon shows you the silver lining of weeds: they make great fertilizer that’s completely free to use and will make a world of difference for your soil health.

A close-up of aphids infesting a green leaf. The tiny green aphids are voraciously feasting on the leaf, leaving a trail of small holes in their wake. The leaf's surface shows signs of damage caused by the infestation.

Garden Pests

11 Types of Aphids Found in the Garden

No gardener wants to deal with aphids, but unfortunately, they are almost impossible to avoid. Gardening expert Madison Moulton takes you through 11 of the most common aphid types found in the garden and how to identify them.