Powdery Mildew
Introduction Powdery mildew is the name given to a group of diseases caused by several closely related fungi. Their common symptom is a grayish-white, powdery mat visible on the surface of leaves,...
Category: Shrubs
Palm Diseases & Nutritional Problems
Palm trees grown in the landscape appear carefree, but they are susceptible to many diseases, insects, and nutritional problems. Avoid many of these problems by following the recommended cultural...
Armored Scale Insects & Control
Many armored scales are serious pests of ornamental shrubs, trees, groundcovers, and turfgrasses in South Carolina. Almost 40% of the Clemson Plant Problem Clinic sample submissions for home...
Cranberry Rootworm Beetle
The Cranberry rootworm beetle (Rhabdopterus picipes) is one of several leaf-feeding beetles and weevils that consume the foliage of woody landscape plants in South Carolina. These nocturnal-feeding...
Photinia (Red Tip)
Photinias are large shrubs that were once used for tall hedging here in the south. The most common photinia is the appropriately named “red tip”, which is easily recognized each spring...
Indian Hawthorn
Indian hawthorns (Rhaphiolepis species and hybrids) are mostly low-growing, evergreen, flowering shrubs. With a dense mounded growth habit, they are ideal low-maintenance plants for use in small...
Fothergilla
Fothergilla species are deciduous, Eastern US natives that are truly spectacular, four-season shrubs. In early April the white, 1½ to 3-inch tall, bottle-brush blooms appear with their delightful,...
Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla, also called bigleaf or French hydrangea, typically has either pink or blue flowers, although a few cultivars have white flowers. Flower color is determined indirectly by the...
Crape Myrtle Diseases & Insect Pests
Crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) are essentially trouble-free small trees. The most common problems include powdery mildew, Cercospora leaf spot, aphids, Japanese beetles, and sooty mold. More...
Ligustrum
Common or European privet (Ligustrum vulgare) and Chinese privet (L. sinense) have escaped into the wild in South Carolina to become weedy and invasive pests. Birds eat the small, black fruit and...
Gardenia
Gardenias have been popular shrubs in South Carolina since the 18th Century and have been grown by the Chinese for over a thousand years. They were named after the Scottish naturalist Alexander...
Storm & Weather Damage
Landscape plants are often subject to damage caused by environmental stresses, including lightning, wind, snow or ice. It is important to know how and when to offer aid to a damaged plant to save...