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Summer is the ideal time to take leaf cuttings from your houseplants. A single leaf can produce many young plants, and this technique is particularly useful for foliage plants such as Begonia rex.Healthy begonia plantClean, sharp knife and cutting boardPotsFree-draining compost, ...

are very effective, but compost with the chemical imidacloprid controls the larvae for up to a year. Other formulations provide just short-term protection.many plants, container-grown plants are especially vulnerableall year roundMore common garden pests

(pheasant's eye)A small daffodil that only grows to 18cm, it packs a punch with a strong, musky scent in late-April to May. Pale yellow flowers emerge from grassy stems and leaves, and its petals curve back, giving it a shuttlecock look. Ideal for containers

Shrubs and perennials planted permanently in containers need good quality compost if they are to survive for more than a couple of years. The addition of loam-based compost such as John Innes no.3 will retain a good open structure for plant roots

In those wonderful James Herriot stories, there is a woman called Mrs Pumphrey, whose spoilt dog is known as  ‘flop-bot’. With a name like that, there is no need for a description. When a tray of seedlings suffers with the horticultural equivalent, and the whole lot keels over in...

Monty Don explains the benefits of hand weeding, demonstrating how to keep unwanted weeds at bay.all year round, particularly springMore advice on dealing with weedsHow to hoe effectivelyMaintaining a healthy lawnDealing with bramblesRemoving Japanese knotweed

vegetables and washing up as well as that from baths and showers. Don't use water that contains bleach or powerful household cleaning products, which could damage plants.Water-retaining granules can be added to the compost when planting bedding in pots

Learn how to prick out seedlings with Monty Don's comprehensive video advice.springMore on growing plants from seedHow to grow sweet peas from seedGrowing exotic plants from seedGrowing dahlias from seedSowing seeds indoors

Of glands or containing glands.

Any substance, organic or inorganic, used to increase soil nutrients. It can be straight, containing only one nutrient, such as nitrogen; or compound, containing more than one nutrient; or balanced, containing equal quantities of plant nutrients.