Search - Articles

to their supports as they growFeed plants with fertiliser solution once a weekApply shading paint or put up shade netting or blindsGreenhouse45 minutesFind out how to create a fragrant garden

with loam-based compost. Space the plants fairly closely, so they knit together as they grow, and pinch out the shoot tips to promote dense growth.Water the plants and apply a liquid feed regularly, so they grow steadily without the leaves going brown. Trim

Compost your kitchen and garden wasteTop up the water level in garden ponds when it starts getting low in summer Push canes in around tall plants like gladioli and lilies and tie them to the stems for supportPlace eye protectors on the tops of all

levels in garden pondsFeed bedding plants with high-potash fertiliser to keep them bloomingWeed flower beds, pulling them up by hand or hoeing bare areas on a hot dayScoop floating weed from ponds with a net

Pick off leaves infected by rose blackspot or rose rust, and dispose of them in your dustbin and not on the compost heapSet up an automatic watering system with a drip nozzle for potted plants if you're going on holidayTop up water levels in ponds

the bark.Leave the stems to develop shoots and form bushy new plants.Once the stem sections are well rooted, pot each one up in a small container. Water and feed regularly. When the plants are root-bound, pot up several plants of different heights into a

feedAlthough aphids suck plants sap, stunting growth, they are also a vital source of food for many beneficial insects and birds. Aphids love nettles, which you can grow as 'sacrificial' plants, saving valuable ornamentals. (The aphids might stunt

. The compost should also be watered, but not much – simply ensure it never dries out fully. Add a house plant fertiliser when watering the rosette, though use it at half strength, and only feed during the spring and summer months.When to water and feed a

, as with comfrey, is as a plant food. If you soak the crushed nettles in water for about a month, you'll end up with a liquid feed that should be diluted by one part in ten before application. If sprayed on plants it can also prevent fungal disease. Nettles also

and the larvae feed on the plants for about three weeks before entering the soil to pupate. Two weeks later the adults emerge and continue munching through the leaves and laying their eggs.Holes in leaves and tiny elongated eggs left by 8mm-long green beetles