“What’s Wrong with my Plant” is a very unusual book. The first half is a diagnostic flow chart, with many either/or examples of plant problems, effectively illustrated with colored line drawings. Depending on your answer to the first question, you turn to another page for more questions to help you focus in on the exact problem. It’s somewhat similar to a taxonomic key for identifying plants.
Once you have reached the end of your investigative journey, you are directed to the relevant section in the second half of the book for a more conventional description of plant problems, including pests and diseases and close-up photographs to confirm your results.
Authors David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth live in Port Townsend and tested their charts with the help of local Master Gardeners. While the book is intended for a broader audience, I think local gardeners will find it particularly relevant.
Excerpted from the Winter 2017 Arboretum Bulletin.