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Balling is triggered by cool, damp conditions, often in a partially shady site, where water-saturated outer petals fail to dry out before being scorched by the sun. The mushy plant tissue dries to form a stiff straightjacket around the petals, preventing the flower from opening. ...

Clematis wilt is caused by a fungus that enters the plant through a wound made by an insect or an abrasion, such as rubbing from a plant tie. It's spread by water splash, and blocks the uptake of water in the stems, causing instant collapse. Infected foliage must be disposed of i...

Climbing flamesAs summer progresses, late-flowering clematis come into their own, and for me they're as much a part of summer as long, balmy evenings and cricket.There are few plants that give me as much pleasure or colour for so little work as late-flowering clematis. Given thei...

Learn how to grow your own crop of delicious, juicy dessert grapes, in this video clip featuring Monty Don. Monty recommends some high-quality, disease-resistant varieties and shares tips on soil preparation and planting depth.spring to autumnMore advice on growing fruitMake the ...

Follow Joe Swift's step-by-step video guide to creating a lightweight garden pergola using yachting cable, with tips on choosing the best climbers.all year roundMore on plant supportsTips on using plant supportsConstructing a metal obeliskBuilding a

A contemporary twist on the hanging basket, these striking aluminium cones make a real statement, yet their chic looks belie the amazing simplicity of their construction. The aluminium sheets come in a variety of textured finishes and are easy to cut and bend, so a whole clutch o...

The climbing glory lily, Gloriosa rothschildiana is an ideal choice for growing in a warm conservatory, where it will scramble up support canes or wires to a height of around 1.2m.An exotic summer-flowering plant, the glory lily requires warm growing conditions to encourage the t...

variety of evergreen climbers

Nesting female bees cut out immediately obvious elliptical shapes from the edges of a leaf to make their cells for laying eggs. Since one female might need 20 or so cells, that's a lot of leaf cutting, particularly when the bee keeps returning to the same plant. It's only a signi...

Sometimes shoots appear on previously plain-leaved plants with attractive variegations, and these can then be propagated by nurserymen to make a new plant. But the new variegated plant might try to revert to all-green foliage because the mutation isn't stable. If left, this all-g...