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Leatherjackets

By Gardeners' World on 18/10/2011 15:27:34

'leatherjacket'. From autumn through to summer, the larvae feed on the roots of plants, eventually growing to 5cm in length before pupating and emerging as adult flies in late-summer.Grass growth slows down and yellow, dying patches appear in the lawn. Dead


Magnesium deficiency

By Gardeners' World on 19/10/2011 13:47:01

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


Rose blackspot

By Gardeners' World on 19/10/2011 14:03:04

Aptly named blackspot is a fungus that causes dark spotting on rose leaves and stems. Eventually, leaves turn yellow and drop off before autumn. Spores overwinter on the fallen leaves and re-infect the plant in spring when new foliage appears


Creeping buttercup

By Gardeners' World on 19/10/2011 16:57:09

Creeping buttercup, Ranunculus repens, is easily recognisable by its glossy yellow flowers. It can grow practically anywhere, but particularly likes poorly drained soil. It spreads quickly via strong runners that root along the way. This makes it a


Winter iris

By James Alexander-Sinclair on 24/02/2009 14:48:28

When we think of irises our minds tend to wander towards May and great swathes of big, brassy flowers over sharp-sided, sword-shaped leaves. Either that or drifts of yellow flag iris on the sides of pools and streams. We tend to ignore February. Big


Compost heaps and wildlife

By Kate Bradbury on 25/08/2011 16:32:12

concern ourselves with the slugs that eat our plants. But look inside your compost bin and you might find their yellow cousins, Limax flavus. Yellow slugs are a gardener’s friend, as they feed almost exclusively on decaying matter. I have only once seen


Bay leaf suckers

By Gardeners' World on 18/10/2011 14:33:48

In mid-spring, 2mm-long, greenish-brown, adult bay suckers emerge from overwintering. They feed on young bay leaves, turning them yellow and making the edges thicken and curl. The females then lay eggs under the curling edges and the new, young grey


Cabbage white caterpillars

By Gardeners' World on 18/10/2011 14:35:19

The caterpillars of both the small and large cabbage white butterflies are are the two culprits. The first is pale green with a body up to 2.5cm long, the second is bigger at 4cm and is yellow with black markings. The adult butterflies lay eggs


Cuckoo spit

By Gardeners' World on 18/10/2011 14:42:19

Protected from predators and the risk of dehydration inside its moist ball of bubbles, the juvenile yellow-green froghopper (or spittle bug) is busy sucking plant sap. It's quite harmless unless it's attacking the shoot tips, which can result


Currant blister aphids

By Gardeners' World on 18/10/2011 14:43:39

of yellow-green or red.If the symptoms were evident last summer, in winter get rid of the eggs by spraying plants with an enzyme wash, which will quickly dissolve them. In spring, spray plants with the systemic insecticide thiacloprid or pyrethrumn to kill


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