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bees that visit the flowers may be killed by traces of these chemicals in the pollen and nectar. horse chestnuts, magnolias, cornus, bay, lime and acer trees. May-SeptemberMore common apple and pear trees problemsCankerEuonymus scaleLeaf miner fly

most apples for instance, it doesn’t need neighbouring plums for cross-pollination. Provided bees visit my single plum tree, I will hopefully get a good crop of fruit.Last year, a couple of pears started to form on my small 'Concorde' tree, but nothing

tiny areas of leaf tissue, causing dead, brown patches. As the leaf grows, these areas tear causing a multitude of small holes. On apples, they leave raised bumps and scabby patches.The uppermost leaves on plants have small, brown-ringed holes, while

problems affecting fruit bushes and treesGrey mould on soft fruitsApple sooty blotchPeach leaf curlBrown rot on apples, pears and plums

, including aphids and codling moths, which attack apple and pear trees. You often find earwigs in holes in fruit, but they rarely caused the initial damage.Earwigs like to nibble soft, young leaves and petals, leaving large ragged holes. Older leaves may

Plant out leeks and brassicas raised in a seed bedSpread mulch around beans and other crops to help conserve soil moistureNet developing soft fruits to protect them from birdsSpray apple trees showing signs of powdery mildew or scabWater onions

Pick gooseberries when ripe. If they're still very green, small and hard, leave them a bit longer. Some varieties turn red or white as they ripenPrune bay trees to keep them in shapeSpray apples and gooseberries with a fungicide to protect against

Shorten sideshoots growing from the framework of espalier, fan and cordon-trained fruit trees back to about five leaves from their basePick fresh herbs for dryingPick gooseberries, currants, strawberries and other fruits as they ripenSupport heavily

as they ripenEase onions from the soil with a forkFinish pruning trained forms of apple treesFruit & vegPlant prepared hyacinth bulbs in special hyacinth vases Sow parsley in modular traysWater crops in growing bags and potsGreenhouse30 minutesLearn how to layer

the glass with bubble polythene is a cheap and effective way of keeping your plants snug and protected from draughts.Collect and compost autumn leaves Cut back suckers growing around the base of treesVisit garden centres to choose bulbs and bedding Around