We use the products above in our own gardens. Arbico Organics (not featured above, but an important part of our gardening efforts) sells our favorite strains of beneficial nematodes. Years where we did NOT use them, we noticed that the undesirable bug populations were much higher. While they can be tricky to apply and take care of for the first two weeks post-application, the results of having done so speak for themselves: fewer grubs, ticks, etc. and healthier lawns and gardens.

Bonide has some safe(r) products that allow us to keep unusually high bug populations in check when nothing else works. They also have some fabulous disease preventatives, which we've come to rely on for healthy, flourishing plants. For instance, some macrophylla hydrangeas can develop dark leaf spots. We tried the Infuse Systemic Disease Control at the start of a growing season, and the hydrangea leaves were picture-perfect all summer. Same with some plants & shrubs typically prone to powdery mildew (even the cultivars that claim they're highly resistant to mildew!): Infuse kept the mildew at bay.

Espoma's line of slow-release fertilizers are our favorite because they actually improve the soil over time by adding microbes and organic material. Our gardens went from "meh" to MAGNIFICENT when we started using their fertilizers consistently, and it's the only brand we bring with us on installation jobs.