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by the National Dahlia Society. If you can get there on Friday then don't miss Jon Wheatley talking about Growing Dahlias. He is a fine and entertaining speaker.

flowers for sustenance, and flowers need bees for pollination. But it's important the flowers you grow provide the food bees need.Most double flowers are of little use, because they're too elaborate. Some are bred without male and female parts, while

' or general plant supports. Push them into the ground around young plants so that they can grow up between the twigs.Tall flower stems of delphiniums or dahlias can be tied individually to bamboo canes pushed into the soil alongside the developing shoots. Tie

Sharp knifeRooting hormone (powder or liquid)Wire or stick CompostHeavy stone June - September 30 minutesSelect a suitably low-growing and pliable young branch that will bend down to soil level. Remove any side-shoots but keep the cluster of leaves at the end

will form at the end that was furthest away from the parent plant, so this end should sit in the bottom of the planting hole.More advice on propagating plantsCarol Klein's video guide to taking basal cuttingsSarah Raven gives instruction on taking dahlia

tiny areas of leaf tissue, causing dead, brown patches. As the leaf grows, these areas tear causing a multitude of small holes. On apples, they leave raised bumps and scabby patches.The uppermost leaves on plants have small, brown-ringed holes, while

signs of diseases Apply a combined weed, feed and mosskiller to your lawnAround the gardenRemove suckers the stems of standard rosesTie tall border plants like delphiniums to their supportsFinish planting out dahlias, cannas and summer bedding

.Verbena plantsSharp knife10cm potsFree-draining compost (multi-purpose and perlite mix - see Adam's tip)Rooting hormone (liquid or powder)Clear polythene bags and rubber bandsJuly - September45 minutesTake cuttings in the morning when shoots are at their firmest

and runner beans, dahlias and Philadelphus - all my favourites!With large infestations I resort to my tried and tested weapon of choice - a plant sprayer bottle filled with water and household detergent. The detergent covers the aphids' breathing holes

' as a general catch-all term for those plants that can be grown from dormant bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes. Among my regular favourites are begonias, dahlias, canna lilies and eucomis, the pineapple flower. Then there's galtonia, the summer hyacinth