Search - Articles

There are many species of aphid, often with its own favourite host plants and particular life cycle. Greenfly and blackfly are the most familiar, but there are also yellow, red, orange and brown aphids. Aphids usually spend the summer on one plant, moving to a host plant to overw...

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...

Every garden has its fair share of slugs and the bad news is that they are around for most of the year. They're active mostly after dark, especially when it's damp. In hot dry weather they bury themselves to avoid dehydrating.Holes are chewed in soft, new growth, young stems are ...

There are many different fungi that cause this problem, each of which usually affects a particular plant or group of plants. In each case they produce similar symptoms. Affected plants will have discoloured leaves, often also distorted when young, while general growth and vigour ...

The fungal spores that cause rust are spread on the wind, and they can survive over winter on the soil surface, on fallen debris and even objects such as fences and stakes. The symptoms spread in early summer from patches of orange on the stems and leaf stalks of roses to more ob...

Snails, like slugs, cause a great deal of damage to plants. They feed mostly at night, seeking shelter during the day from the drying effects of the sun. However, the snail's shell allows it to move more freely than a slug over dry areas, such as paving. It too, leaves a tell-tal...

Pruning roses keeps them in shape and encourages more flower growth and healthier plants. Cut weak shoots right back to promote stronger growth from the base.Rose bushSecateursautumn or spring20 minutesRemove dead shoots and the tips of stems

knife and dust the wound with fungicide.liliesspring, autumnMore advice on growing liliesDividing day lilies videoRemoving lily beetlesPlanting lily bulbs in a potDeadheading lilies

Joe Swift demonstrates how to prune and take hardwood cuttings from dogwoods.springCreative suggestions for dogwoodCreate a dogwood container displayCreate a winter container displayMake a christmas wreathBrowse dogwood varietiesAdd autumn colour to your garden.

to where a vigorous shoot has emerged.Cut through the supporting ties to allow the removal of the pruned flowered shoots. Train in strongest new shoots as they develop throughout the rest of the growing season.AdamWear gloves and protective goggles when