Summer in the Midwest: heat, bagworms and garden workhorses!
Bagworms!! It could happen to you...
If you don’t have them now, then there is a good chance that you’ve seen them before. It's that little worm that lives in a sack. It seems to eat just about anything. It looks like an ugly, brown Christmas tree ornament. 
Controlling bagworms can be as simple as plucking a couple bags or may entail hiring a professional for those hard to reach spaces. Either way it is important to achieve very thorough control: missing even one bag could lead to a thousand more the next year. Teh most effective control is a spry for bagworms. Lawrence Landscape does indeed offer spraying services!
In mid-June, the bags start to become visible. This is when the tiny worms begin to feed. As the worm grows, so does the bag. Feeding will usually cease in mid-August. Even after feeding has finished, bags likely will remain on the host plant. 
Bagworms are most commonly known for attacking cedar and junipers. However this pest has shown itself NOT to be a picky eater. Over the past few years, I have seen them attached to sycamores, locust, river birch, maple, white pines, oak, cotoneaster, spruce, roses, ornamental grasses, and pears to name few. It is easy to see that a large portion of your landscape may be at risk. Evergreens should be monitored more often, as they have a tougher time recovering from severe injury.
Prairie Workhorses: beautiful, native (or semi-native) flowers that delight Midwestern gardeners. Any of these wonderful flowers will do well in full sun, not too much water and take on the June and July heat like a boss! Some reseed- so beware the volunteers next year. Or enjoy the volunteers next year, like I do!
-Cosmos: reseeding annual
-Cornflower/ Bachelor Buttons: reseeding annual
-Sunflowers: reseeding annual
-Daylilies: perennial (pictured)
-Yarrow: perennial (pictured)
-Tickseed Coreopsis: perennial
-Butterfly bush: perennial shrub (pictured)
-Lavender: perennial
-Marigold (the old fashioned reseeding kind)
-Bee Balm (spreading perennial, watch out!) (also pictured)
-Hollyhock and Hibiscus