Pests and Diseases of Annual Flowers

UT/TSU Extension agent Joellen Dimond talks about common problems with annual flowers in the garden. Growing the same kind of plants in the same place every year encourages disease.  Rotate your flowers.  Vinca is a good example. The plant is healthy but then wilts and dies. Often it is because of a disease called phytophthora which is a rot that happens when there is overwatering. This disease stays in the soil and will infect vinca every year in that spot of ground. Planting other less susceptible plants will reduce the chance of disease. Impatiens suffer from impatiens powdery mildew. Petunias suffer from Botrytis or phytophthora. All of these diseases are encouraged by wet conditions. Mounding or raising the soil before you plant the plant will help drainage. When a plant dies of a disease don’t compost the plant, throw it in the garbage.

Related Resources:
Flower and Foliage Plant Diseases
Insect & Disease Management in Annual Flower Beds
IPM Series: Annuals and Perennials