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are then infected, they too eventually turn yellow and drop. If not dealt with, the plant will weaken.Rose black spot is very similar and can be dealt with in the same way.Leaves are marked with purple or brownish-black spots, then turn yellow and fall. Smaller

Are your roses martyrs to disease? Are their leaves covered with black spots or a white overcoat of powdery mildew? Well, I'll come clean and put my hand up on both counts. Much depends on the time of year and whether it's wet or dry - but, most

. primulassummerMore common fungal problemsIris leaf spotBlack spotHollyhock rustRhododendron leaf spot

a mulch of well-rotted compost, and regularly feed and water. Keep deadheading.rhododendrons, azaleasspring, summer, autumn, winterCommon fungal problems affecting plantsRose blackspotIris leaf spotPrimula leaf spotBlack spot

The fungus Rhytisma acerinum overwinters on fallen acer leaves, then infects the new spring foliage. The first signs are yellow leaf spots that turn into large shiny black blotches up to 1.5cm across. Severe cases can mean the leaves drop early

Cut down willows and dogwoods to their base to promote strong new canes Finish taking hardwood cuttings from shrubs, trees and rosesPlant bare-root roses, hedging, trees and shrubsPick off hellebore leaves with black blotches as this is a symptom

. They then hide in the soil to pupate.Caterpillars eat holes in the leaves of verbascums, buddleia and figwort. In severe cases, the plant's leaves are completely decimated.The bright yellow and black caterpillars are easy to spot as they crawl across the leaves

proportions. In fact, London’s gulls are still something of a novelty, despite the maritime nature of the tidal Thames.I once had a relationship-threatening close encounter with a herring gull in St James’s Park, but I gloss over that here. It is the black

as the harlequin, and is orange with white spots. It has orange legs and its crocodile-like larva is yellow with black spots. It was once considered an indicator of ancient woodland, but is now expanding its range into habitats like London parks, where I found mine

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