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devastate zinnia plants, particularly varieties of Z. elegans.There are many others, including the fiery Z. elegans 'Cactus Orange', burning 'Benaries Red' and pale green 'Envy'.Are zinnias set for a revival, and will you be growing them?

, including African violets, cane-stemmed begonias, coleus, cyperus, impatiens, ivy, rubber plants and verbena.More on growing and caring for house plantsTaking stem cuttings from dracaena house plantsGrowing cactus plants from seedGrowing indoor amarylis

turn black (as in peace lilies) or plants may turn soft and rot (cacti, succulents, orchids). If you suspect you’ve been too generous, stop watering completely until the compost dries out. Badly affected plants may not survive so take cuttings from any

to feed on Fallopia. The hope is that it will have the same effect here, controlling Fallopia, as the Mexican moth Cactoblastis had when it was deliberately introduced to Australia to combat the insidious weed spread of prickly pear cactus, originally from

First it was my garlic - a crop I pride myself on (usually) as we get huge bulbs of super-succulent, tremendously tasty garlic that lasts us well in to the next year, generally until the next year's crop is ready...and keeps our friends smelling

that each was fitted with a spiral tree guard to fend off the rabbits, our bunnies are super-cunning and soon realised that if you put your front feet on the top of a plastic spiral it obligingly squashes down to reveal tasty succulent bark beneath. Some

produced bright red, slim, succulent and tasty stems. But I've just discovered three flower stalks have grown in my rhubarb patch. If left to bloom, they can weaken or even kill the crowns, although I've never had the nerve to let this happen. I removed

sauce on pasta , made using three huge, succulent and freshly harvested cloves of garlic. It made no difference. Perhaps I should rub the stuff on my skin, but then would any humans come near me? I use insect repellent and it works brilliantly but I hate

snails, or perhaps a dew-encrusted millipede huddled down into the thatch. What I saw, was a succulent plump emerald gem - the chrysalis of a speckled wood butterfly.It took me some while to recognize exactly which butterfly species it belonged to

Plant runner beans now and these vegetables will thrive in the warm, moist soil and quickly twine up their supports. At this time of year you can still sow seeds, which will produce a good harvest of succulent pods, or you can buy young plants