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and fruit. Clear up infected, fallen leaves around trees. Cover fence or wall-trained trees with polythene sheet in January and February to prevent development of fungus. Alternatively, erect an open-sided 'tent' over bushes in the open garden. Mulch around

on infected stems and branches. The most serious consequence of scab is reduced vigour of the trees caused by early leaf fall. This may limit the crop of fruit. The disease also causes scabs on the skins of fruit, although they are still edible. A preventative

, which can encourage sooty mould to develop. It's more of a problem in urban areas where temperatures are higher.Scrape the eggs off by hand and move them to an alternative tree, or destroy them.Spray with an insecticide containing imidaclprid

Bamboo canesSecateursGarden twine or stringJanuaryWeave several willow stems together.Bend the entwined willow stems into a circle about 45cm in diameter.Once your circle is complete, trim off any untidy ends, and secure with string if necessary.Insert four

with the hose.roses, dahlias, fuchsias, lavender, rosemary and many garden plantsspring, summer, autumnMore common garden pestsCapsid bugsEuonymous scalePhormium mealybugScale insects

These pretty outdoor tea light holders are made from birch logs, which you can often obtain from tree surgeons. The best size to go for is around 10cm in diameter, which is ideal for holding a tea light. Choose different heights for your tea light

of the planting hole square; this helps to prevent young tree roots from circling the hole rather than penetrating the surrounding soil.More advice on plantingTrees for small gardens - Gardeners' World blog by James Alexander-SinclairHow to plant a bare-root tree

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...

, or thiacloprid.virtually anything from tomatoes to honeysuckleearly spring to autumnDealing with other garden pestsWoolly aphidsWhiteflyPear leaf blister miteLeafhopper

Plum trees can be prone to silver leaf disease if pruned in winter, so cut them back in summer to encourage the development of bushy growth, which stops them becoming too large and unmanageable. Plum treeSecateurs June - July 20 minutesUse secateurs