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Winter pruning wisteria encourages the development of short-flowering spurs that carry the flowers in spring. The long vigorous shoots produced on the wisteria need to be cut back at least twice during the year, so you'll need to repeat this pruning in late-June or early July.Wis...

The large, beautiful caterpillar larvae of the elephant hawk moth has two pairs of eye markings, which are made even more prominent when it withdraws its head into its body. They are, typically, a blackish-brown colour but are sometimes green, and though their 'eyes' make them lo...

The sap-feeding scale insect Unaspis euonymi is particularly attracted to Euonymus japonica, although it will feast on other evergreen euonymus too. The white males congregate on the leaves, but the brownish-black females live on the bark, making them hard to spot. Large numbers ...

Scarlet beetles (6mm - 8mm long) with black heads eat the leaves, flowers and seedpods of lilies and other members of the lily family. Don't mistake them for ladybirds. Between April and September the beetles lay eggs on the undersides of leaves. After a week they hatch into redd...

Soft-bodied, 4mm-long mealybugs are often found on greenhouse plants and house plants such as cacti and succulents, feeding on their sap. They are covered by a white, waxy secretion, and congregate in leaf axils and other inaccessible parts of plants. They debilitate the plants a...

The mullein moth, Cucullia verbasci, lays its eggs on verbascum, buddleia and figwort at the end of spring. Shortly after, from late spring to midsummer, the caterpillars demolish the foliage. Bad infestations can actually strip a plant. They then hide in the soil to pupate.Cater...

A fungal disease weakens the plant and can seriously reduce its flowering performance. The brown spots eventually grow together and develop grey centres. Infection is caused by air or water-borne spores entering the plant through damaged leaves. In wet weather the fungus spreads ...

knife and dust the wound with fungicide.liliesspring, autumnMore advice on growing liliesDividing day lilies videoRemoving lily beetlesPlanting lily bulbs in a potDeadheading lilies

Lilies are bursting into elegant and colourful blooms at this time of year . It's a dramatic sight, and one you can prolong by simply removing the flowers as they fade.Lily plantsSecateursJuly - August10 minutesJuly - AugustTidy up the lily

The distortion, known as fasciation, is a freak of nature, and often looks like several stems have been fused together. It's a rare phenomenon and does the plant no lasting harm. It can develop on a range of shrubs, flowers and perennials. The cause could be environmental, such a...