Anyone reading my posts for a longer time knows I enjoy spending days in the garden, not just sunbathing but also trying out my gardening skills at planting, fertilising, pruning, what not, with a special helper – my son. I’m keeping my hopes up that maybe he’s going to be a better gardener than me.

One of my prides is the ornamental Green Vase (Zelkova serrata) that I planted more than a year ago. Wanting to create a lush appearance that would inspire even passers-by, I decided to add a shrub or two (ended up being three!) around a couple of months ago and opted for some of our Australian beauties: Grevillea (Long John) because of its beautiful coral-red flowers that Matthew likes and Eremophila nivea (Silky Eremophila) to spice up my garden’s looks with the silvery foliage.

I love finding out more about plants, so imagine my excitement when I’d discovered this type of Grevillea attracts birds, honeyeaters specifically; I couldn’t have asked for a livelier outcome! We’ve even put up a small fountain to give them a warm welcome.

Though I was worried about planting my shrubs in partial shade, after seeing how they started flourishing and attracting wildlife, I knew they’re just where they’re meant to be; that is, until I had to get professional help with shrub insect control.

Do You Trust Your Green Thumbs?

I never considered myself that great with gardening because I’ve killed some plants over the years, I’m not going to hide it, however I’ve never let that stop me from making gardening part of my life since what I didn’t have as a talent, I acquired as a skill through adequate literature.

Even though I’m not that proud of a person I still let these “skills” get to my head like thinking I could take care of shrubs myself, despite having entrusted the tree with arborists before. Can you guess what happened trusting my green thumbs instead?

I almost lost my newly planted shrub! While the Grevillea is generally pest-free, it was my tender E. nivea that was attacked and right before my eyes too but I failed to notice for quite some time mainly because the scale insects, typical pests attacking Eremophila, hide under the leaves.

Since they feed on the plants, it’s easy for the plant to lose its much needed nutrients and in cases of longer infestation can even weaken the growth. After noticing E. nivea doing bad as opposed to the Grevillea I had quite the sight as soon as I looked closely, though it was Matthew who first drew my attention to “the weird bubbles under the leaf”.

Luckily, thanks to the expertise of the arborists, their thorough inspection and the suitable shrub insect control, my lovely silvery shrub is doing well once again. Learning my lesson from this experience, I’m watchful of each and every plant now and do inspection at least twice a week to make sure pests don’t catch me off-guard again. Knowing the way to health is proper protection, it’s the best path to ensure the plant is safe from a serious issue.

Leave it To the Pros

I’m not saying everyone is poorly skilled in nipping infestations in the bud as I am however when you want to ensure the well-being of your plants, it’s best to hand it over to someone who’s had years of experience.

What I like about the team who rescued mine is the fact they don’t rush in to treat, using the most expensive of products, but they dedicate some time to examine the plants, get to know the issue and then find the adequate treatment. They even go as far as evaluating the environmental impact of the treatment solutions which speaks how much they love their job and care about nature.

As soon as my plant was back on its “feet” they cleared out some doubts I’d had about the fertilisation and watering and gave me tips on how to get the lush outcome I’ve wanted in the first place.

Do the Math

No matter how much I’d wanted to get rid of the insect problem, thinking things through made me realise how I was actually on my way to aggravate the problem, meaning not only would the shrub have endured more, it would have affected my wallet significantly also because of buying whatever treatment I could first lay my hands on in my desperation.

With professional shrub insect control you cut down on the extra costs and you save the plants, most importantly, so it’s win-win. Besides, depending on the case, you might not have the needed equipment to provide the suitable treatment.

Still, to make the most of the experience, and stay away from phonies, it’s necessary to ask for or check for certifications when you do the search online to know who it is you’re entrusting your plants and money to.