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I'm always slightly perplexed when I hear someone talking about woodlice as if they were garden pests. My garden is full of the critters, but I've never even had need to raise my voice at them. They crowd around the flowerpots, under logs and stones

Living on a hillside, I’m fortunately not in danger of being flooded, but it doesn’t mean I’m not feeling the effects of the recent heavy rains. It’s difficult to walk around my sloping garden without slipping over, and the grassed areas have turned

New Year’s Eve. A defining moment, the joys and traumas of Christmas behind us and the blank page of 2013 stretching ahead like a freshly hoovered carpet. The question is whether, for us gardeners, that carpet will be lush shag pile or meagrely

blown away by their scent. I also like Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’, which produces clusters of tiny rose-pink flowers on bare stems from October to March. However, I’ve seen too many viburnums growing in ‘municipal’ settings to want to grow them in my

Left unchecked, canker can gradually spread to affect whole branches and sections of trees. Severely-infected old trees may be beyond rescue, while young trees are vulnerable to infection, particularly where other susceptible trees are growing in close proximity. Where trees are ...

, while general growth and vigour is poor. Also learn about powdery mildew on roses.In summer, a white powdery coating covers the leaves and possibly the shoot tips and flowers too. Leaves may then become discoloured and distorted, with poor growth

We probably all know a Rose, Heather or Hazel, and I have friends with children named Sorrel and Daisy, but do you know a Zucchini?I knew the silly season was in full flow when a list of the UK’s Top 10 Vegetable Surnames landed in my intray

in the garden, although they could have been cut for indoor display.Another variety to consider is Zinnia marylandica 'Zahara Starlight Rose' (pictured left), a beautiful bicolour variety that has resistance to leaf spot and mildew disease, that can sometimes

around the roots. Remove the rose from the watering can and gently water around the plants, not over them. If any gaps appear between the roots of the plants, simply add a little more compost, then water again.More on growing herbsCreate a pot display

flowers of summer bedding plants, such as this French marigold, can be simply pinched off between finger and thumb. Alternatively, use scissors or florists' snips.Cluster-flowered roses should be deadheaded regularly so that the plant's energy