Good cultural practices and selecting well-adapted species will go a long way in preventing landscape plants from being attacked by insects and diseases. For example, watering roses at their base without wetting the foliage will help minimize black spot, the most troublesome disease of roses in many parts of the country. And over-fertilizing, whether it be of lawns, roses or trees, is known to invite both insects and disease. Good sanitation - just cleaning up prunings and other plant debris that may harbor insects or disease - will also reduce problems.

Choosing plants that are well adapted to the area in which you live as well as to the exact spot in your garden (sun or shade, wet or dry) where you will plant them, will also help minimize pests. Simply put, healthy plants have fewer problems. And many plants, including flowers, trees and roses, are available in varieties that have been selected or bred to resist known insects or diseases. For example, did you know there are varieties of roses, zinnias and crape myrtles that naturally resist powdery mildew? But despite a gardener's best intentions, pest problems inevitably occur. Bayer Advanced offers a variety of effective systemic (active ingredients are absorbed into plant tissues) pest control options for flowers worthy of springtime review. Indoor plants should be sprayed or treated outside, then brought back inside once dry.

Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Rose & Flower Care Concentrate's exclusive formula feeds and protects against insects and diseases in one easy step. It provides six weeks of protection against major disease problems, including black spot, powdery mildew and rust, of roses, hibiscus, and other flowers and shrubs. It also controls many insect pests, including aphids, adult Japanese beetles, lace bugs, scales, thrips and whitefly. No is necessary; just mix in a bucket or watering can and pour around the base of the plant. Root uptake starts the systemic process that distributes the product throughout the plant.

Bayer Advanced™ Disease Control for Roses, Flowers & Shrubs Concentrate cures, stops and prevents plant diseases. The systemic formula provides rainproof protection against most common plant diseases such as anthracnose, black spot, flower blight, powdery mildew, rust, scab and southern blight. It can be used on roses and other flowers, including azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons, landscape trees and shrubs, ground covers, vines and houseplants.

Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate is the only tree and shrub insect control that provides 12 months of protection with one application. It contains the proprietary MERIT® systemic insecticide for maximum, rainproof results. No spraying is required; just mix and pour at the base of the tree or shrub. It controls many insect pests, including adelgids, aphids, adult Japanese beetles, lace bugs, leaf-feeding beetles, psyllids, scales, thrips, whitefly, and many wood boring pests.

Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer Concentrate is the only systemic, ready-to-use insecticide available. It comes in a convenient, ready-to-use hand-pump sprayer and a ready-to-spray hose-end applicator. It contains fast-acting cyfluthrin, which kills pests on contact, and MERIT®, for 30 days of rainproof, systemic protection. Use it on flowers, roses, shrubs and trees to control adelgids, aphids, adult Japanese beetles, bagworms, boxelder bugs, lace bugs, leaf-feeding beetles and caterpillars, psyllids, scales, thrips and whitefly.