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Purple-striped green beetles, 8mm long, congregate among the leaves, which they feed on. The beetles lay elongated eggs beneath the leaves from September and continue to do so on warm days right through winter. These hatch after a couple of weeks and the larvae feed on the plants...

2cm between the top of the compost and the basket's rim. Water in well and leave it to drain before hanging in position.AdamGive your plants a regular once-over for pests such as aphids, and beware of snails, which can sometimes sneak in too

're rarely troubled by pests and diseases and will self-seed readily all over the garden.Also popular is the Lenten rose hybrid, Helleborus x hybridus, whose flowers range in colour from immaculate white to virtually black, with nearly every shade of green

.Snails mostly feed at night; mild, damp conditions suiting them best. Go out with a torch and collect them by hand. Either re-home them on a patch of waste ground, well away from your garden as they have a homing instinct, or drop them in a bucket of hot, salty

all summer long. Support them, feed and water them regularly, remove spent flowers and watch out for signs of pests and diseases. Our five tips, below, will ensure your roses put on a show-stopping display.Deadhead roses regularly, otherwise plants

'll reward you through their tireless efforts to hunt and eat your garden pests during spring and summer.Once you've created your nest box, why not follow our advice on installing a nest box camera, which will give you a fascinating insight into the lives

.Bulbs need enough time in the cold and dark for the root system to develop and support flowering. Use a thermometer to ascertain that your shed or garden is cold enough (it should be around 10°C). Once inside, place the bulbs or corms in a cool, north

the nettle growth, too.)Nettles as aphid trapNettles are the number one destination for ladybirds with eggs to lay. These eggs turn into ladybird larvae, which predate on garden pests, including aphids, whitefly and red spider mite.Nettles for ladybirds

on the best vegetables to grow for beginners.How to... grow fruit and vegetablesAlys Fowler has picked out her top ten vegetables for beginners to grow. These plants require minimum maintenance, suffer from few pests and diseasesand will produce a decent yield