Although generally quite a hardy flower; I have found that the pest which most often attacks my chrysanthemums is white rust caused by the fungus Puccinia horiana. As this is the most common chrysanthemum disease I have used it for the featured image at the top of this article.   Chrysanthemum White Rust Puccinia horiana   The picture […]

On the whole chrysanthemums are quite hardy plants and easy to grow. Here are some basic guidelines to follow to keep your chrysanthemums healthy and producing good flowers. Plant chrysanthemums in a sheltered but sunny space. Young plants propagated indoors can be hardened off in a cold frame during April and planted out in May […]

As the summer draws to an end and the first signs of autumn creep up on us, many of our friends and neighbours will be moaning and groaning about the end of summer and how they are dreading the onset of winter with its long nights and cold cheerless days. However for us gardeners this […]

In my last post I wrote about mop head and lace cap hydrangeas both of which were variations of  Hydrangea macrophylla (you can also get mop head and lace cap cultivars of other hydrangea varieties too). In this post I will explore some other varieties of hydrangeas commonly grown in British gardens. Hydrangea Arborescens Hydrangea […]

When I moved into my house a number of years ago there were three large well established hydrangea bushes gracing the back garden. The first summer none of them flowered very well which I put down to the general neglect they had suffered over past seasons, and in particular the massacre they had received by […]

In my last post I introduced you to two of the most common and nasty pests which destroy buxus plants, namely the Box Tree Caterpillar – Cydalima perspectalis and Box Blight – Cylindrocladium buxicola. In this post I will look at identification, treatment and prevention of these two pests. Box Blight Cylindrocladium buxicola Identification Cylindrocladium buxicola is a fungal disease. […]

Buxus sempervirens otherwise know as Box trees and shrubs is widely grown as a low growing ornamental hedge. Box plants are also frequently cut into ball or pyramid shapes and grown in pots around the front door. For topiary enthusiasts the box plant makes the ideal specimen to work with in shaping all kinds of […]

The Royal Horticultural society have been running a campaign designed to encourage the British public to get into gardening and horticulture and at the same time to brighten up the often drab grey appearance of British streets. You may have noticed raised bed planters and hanging baskets awash with lively and colourful summer blooms artistically […]

This time of year at the beginning of June if you have plum trees it is very important to remember to carfully check the young slowly forming fruits for any signs of plum pocket. I did this job this week – I love observing my new fruits – who doesn’t? – and I carefully cut […]

A week or so ago on the ninth of May, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Royal Horticultural Societies annual spring flower show hosted at the Three Counties showground in Malvern. The setting of the show is stunning and is my favourite flower show because of the gorgeous rural location with the […]