10. Choose and site plants appropriately

Successful gardening is based on using plants appropriate for your zone and site. If you set a shade-loving plant, like an azalea, in full sun, it will grow poorly and be easily attacked by diseases and insects. I once had a crape myrtle planted were part of its leaves was in the shade. This was the only part of the plant that had powdery mildew.

Plants have defenses similar to a human’s immune system, which swings into action when plants are under attack from an insect or disease. If plants are under stress, they cannot react with full strength to fight off or recover from diseases. Stressed plants, therefore, are more likely to succumb to these afflictions