Register with us or sign in
no damage) to be taken up by the sap-sucking whiteflies.tomatoes, cucumbers, fuchsias, other greenhouse plantsspring, summer, autumnMore common garden pestsAphidsLeaf miner flyEuonymus scaleMealybugs
, and though their 'eyes' make them look quite dramatic, they are completely harmless. However, they can strip a fuchsia of its leaves at night. Active from mid- to late-summer, they can be found hiding during the day on the undersides of leaves.Thick, 8cm
pinching out the soft shoot tips with scissors, a knife or your finger nail.Repeat the pinching 2 or 3 more times, allowing two pairs of leaves to expand fully on each of the subsequent side shoots. This may take between 10 and 20 days, depending
These tiny, sap-sucking pests may be only 0.5mm long but they can wreak havoc in a greenhouse or on houseplants indoors. For most of the year they are a pale green colour with two dark spots on their back; it's only in autumn and winter
Plant tomatoes in large pots or growing bagsOpen all vents on warm days, or install automatic vent openers, to encourage good air flowSow tender primulas, such as Primula obconica, P. kewensis and P. sinensis, to grow on as houseplantsTake cuttings
Raise lettuce and salad crops in pots for early pickingsWater potted fuchsias sparingly to prevent compost drying out completelyPrune grapevines before they come into growth, when their sap starts risingBring pots of strawberries under cover
Water crops in growing bags and pots daily, adding a liquid feed once a weekIntroduce biological controls if you have discovered pests, such as whitefly and red spider mitePinch out developing sideshoots on tomato stemsTrain cucumbers and tomatoes
Dig up congested clumps of winter aconites and transplant to new sitesImprove the soil the soil by spreading compost or manure over beds and forking inMove plants growing in the wrong placeDig deeply areas where you'll be planting new roses, shrubs
Prune summer-flowering clematis, cutting above a low pair of green budsCut out dead stems of ceratostigma and hardy fuchsiasPrune all stems of Hydrangea paniculata down to about three buds from soil levelPrepare areas in flowerbeds ready for sowing
Train cucumbers and prune back sideshootsPick off flowers on coleus to maintain their colourful leavesWater tomatoes regularly to prevent fruits from splittingTake cuttings from fuchsias, coleus, pelargoniums, marguerites and other tender perennials
