The perennial salvia will generally grow from between eighteen inches and thirty-six inches, yet there are some that are much smaller. One of the smaller perennial salvia is the salvia microphylla. This perennial salvia grows best in zones seven through eleven, and is very useful in deer prevention. The salvia microphylla, also known as baby sage, is a lovely perennial salvia with bold pink blooms that flower from early summer, and continue to bloom until the first winter frost.

Read more about Salvia, this beautiful perennial here.

Leaf spots appear in spring as small olive-green lesions on the upper and lower leaf surfaces. As spores form, lesions develop a velvety brown appearance. As leaves age, they turn yellow (except for the scab lesions) and fall from the tree. In severe years, susceptible crabapples and apples may be defoliated by late June. Flower parts, fruit, and succulent twigs can also be infected.

Insect Cycles/Sod Web Worms

Damage will appear as scattered "brownish" areas of turf, eventually the areas will combine into one large brown area. Many of the grass blades are missing and the thatch is exposed. Close inspection reveals very short stubs of green grass blades where the sod webworm larvae have eaten off. Green, pinhead-sized, fecal pellets will be easily seen at the base of the plants. Damage may occur from spring into fall but is most common in midsummer. 

Increase in Bag Worms

 They look like dangling brown ornaments hanging from the branches of evergreens. Bagworms left unchecked can be devastating! This is where Sweeney's can help. Give us a call at (630) 833-8600 on helping you get rid of these bags since each one can contain 300 - 1000 eggs!

You can read more about these early spring issues in our weekly blog posts.