Plant Problems Demystified Washington State University's
Hortsense Web site presents specific information on about 600
common plant problems in western Washington. It's a tremendously
helpful site and one I use often. Topics include problems with
turfgrass, ornamentals, small fruits, tree fruits, vegetables,
and weeds. The site offers non-chemical management information
and a list of registered chemicals for the problem. Caring for
Perennials Inside Caring for Perennials: What To Do and When To
Do It, by Janet Macunovich (Storey, 1997; $18), you'll find a
season-by-season guide to creating and maintaining a topflight
garden with a minimum of effort. There's general advice for
doing preventative maintenance in early spring; mulching,
dividing, and moving plants in mid-spring; staking them in late
spring; deadheading in midsummer; cutting back and removing them
in mid-autumn; and composting in autumn. Chapters on pruning,
edging, weeding, watering, and fertilizing round out the book,
which focuses on the care a