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this year.Although pollen beetles are no great pest, they can nibble the edges of unopened flowers. I've seen a few of them about, but for the first time, I've not had to shake the bunches of sweet peas to remove whole families of pollen beetles, or shine a

of damage. They tend to feed on exposed areas of the foliage, so it's not too difficult to spot and remove them before they've decimated the plants.Of course, you may not want to remove them from your prized plants. Some gardeners choose to leave them be

. We also raised some snapdragons from seed, but these plants are, as yet, still healthy. I hope I removed and discarded the affected plants quickly enough to prevent my home-grown plants succumbing to the same fate. As much as I encourage my kids

and removing algae from between the panes, using a combination of strong water jets and a slim piece of plastic cut from a margarine tub. Then, having finally cleared the last of the tomatoes from the bed, I removed any lurking traces of grey mould from

in admiring their arrival - the weedkiller manufacturers may well be rubbing their hands in glee, too.Will I be removing them from my grass? No, they'll be allowed to put on their fantastic display, though I may pull off their faded heads before the seeds form

.So, what can be done about lily beetles? Here are two tips:1.     Remove lily beetle larvae.They have no visible antennae, legs or, in fact, anything to suggest they may be insects. Instead, they look like clumps of squidgy faeces, and that’s what

sit outside for a cuppa, or every time I kneel down to tend some plants or remove some weeds, one (or six or more) nips up my legs and bites me where it hurts. My legs are positively screaming on bad days. And then, to top it all, the horseflies

to enjoy.Within a week or so I will probably have to remove the last of the tomato plants but even then I am sure there will be a good number of green tomatoes that can be bought inside and given the freckly-banana treatment (yes that age old trick

now largely excavated the area and removed most of the bulbs and corms. Only my daughter's plot is untouched - apparently squirrels don't like climbing inside children's wheelbarrows.The remaining bulbs and corms are now hidden, camouflaged beneath

trays, compost or propagators. Just clear the soil, forking it over to remove debris, weeds or larger stones and get sowing. I use sand from the kids' sandpit to mark out separate areas for each type of seed, and sow in rough rows to make subsequent