Garden Problem Solving
Other problems to keep a look out for…
Every gardener runs into problems, and the first thing to say is do not panic. In fifty years I have seen very few that could not be put right, or at least lived with, once you understand what is actually going on. Most trouble in a garden comes down to a handful of causes, and the knack is reading the signs and matching the cause to the cure rather than reaching for a spray at the first sign of a nibbled leaf.
In this section I help you work out what has gone wrong and what to do about it: the common pests and how to deal with them before they take hold, the diseases worth worrying about and the many that are not, and the problems that are nothing to do with pests at all but down to soil, water, weather or how a plant has been grown. The aim throughout is a clear answer first, then the detail if you want it.
Start by looking closely and describing what you see, that is half the diagnosis done. The guides below cover the problems gardeners ask about most, with practical, tried-and-tested ways to deal with them.
Why have my dahlias stopped flowering?
By midsummer, dahlias should be starting to pump out the blooms, but I'm often asked why these normally reliable .....
What are the sticky bumps on the stems and leaves of my plant?
It can be worrying when you come across something unusual in the undergrowth, especially when it takes the form .....
Why are the leaves on my buddleia curled and yellow?
The leaves on buddleias across the land have been showing curled, yellow symptoms which have left gardeners puzzled. The .....
Why have the leaves turned brown on my box plants?
Gardeners have noticed a scourge of box bushes that has turned their leaves brown in recent years. First it .....
What makes stems die back on roses?
Rose dieback, where stems die back from the tip, is usually a sign of a weakened plant rather than .....
What are the clumps of twigs in trees
Those dense, nest-like clumps of twigs in a tree, most often seen in birch in winter, are usually 'witches' .....
What are the black spots on hardy palm leaves
Black spots on hardy palm leaves are almost always a fungal leaf-spot disease rather than a sign the plant is .....
Why don’t roses open fully
When rose buds form but fail to open, turning papery or brown instead, it is usually 'balling': rain settles .....
Why do my plants get powdery mildew
In late summer and autumn, many plants get an attack of powdery mildew. Herbaceous perennials such as phlox and .....
Fig mosaic virus – keep an eye out for this disease
I seem to have been talking about plant viruses quite a bit this last year or two, and the latest .....