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pull them out if they appear in the garden. Every two weeks from early spring onwards spray plants with a systemic action fungicide.hollyhocks, mallowall year roundCommon fungal problems affecting plantsIris leaf spotRose blackspotRose rustTulip fire

Spores carried by water and wind spread this fungus, which leaves primula foliage peppered with holes. The initial signs are spots in a yellow-orange area, or in grey, papery tissue. When the centre falls out, holes appear. Look beneath the leaves

There are several different viruses that affect tulips, each with slightly different symptoms. Tulip breaking virus causes streaking or marking of purple, pink and red tulips, usually on the late-flowering cultivars. White and yellow tulips aren

. They then hide in the soil to pupate.Caterpillars eat holes in the leaves of verbascums, buddleia and figwort. In severe cases, the plant's leaves are completely decimated.The bright yellow and black caterpillars are easy to spot as they crawl across the leaves

Magnesium is needed to give leaves their green colour, so when there's a deficiency, yellow breaks through between the veins and around the leaf edges instead. Other colours, such as purple, brown or red, might also appear. Older leaves suffer first

on foliage.Yellow to white mottling of upper surface of leaves. Whole leaf may become puckered and turn brown at the edges.Cover a piece of stiff card with grease or contact adhesive and hold it above the infected plants while lightly brushing the foliage

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