Every year my honeysuckle has lots of buds but just before they are due to open out they all fall off. I have tried spraying it but to no avail. Any ideas? In all other respects it is a healthy specimen.
Ian Shippen, Barrow-on-Soar |
I would say that this is due to infestations of aphids which attack the buds sucking the sap.
Treat the shrub with at least two sprays of a good insecticide like Bio Provado ultimate Bug Killer about 10 days apart. Also keep the plant well watered. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have a small back yard that is grown over. Every year I clear it and clean. My problem is I can't get control of the things that grow there. I have used weed killers and cut things to no avail. As you have assumed by now I have NO idea of what I am doing. I do wantto clear the small patch of land, cement it and than use boxes. How does this city slicker do that please?
John, Queens, New York |
I think that what I would do in order to totally clear the area is to spray all the weeds, brambles etc. with a weedkiller containing the chemical glysophate. In the UK we buy this as round-up but if you ask for a weedkiller containing glysophate at your local gardening store they will fix you up. Once the weeds are brown - this could take up to three weeks - clear them and cover the soil with a layer of landscaping fabric. This will allow water through but prevent re-growth of weeds. Then cover the whole area with a 2-3 inch layer of gravel, or aggregate, about pea sized. This should give you a good area for sitting out and reduce weed problems one hell of a lot. <<Back to gardening questions index |
What other apple trees do I have to grow to pollinate the apple tree Cinderella? It is approximately eight years old and the few apples that do appear drop off when they reach the size of a small marble.
Len Collett , Dawlish |
One of the best pollinators of a wide range of other apple varieties is James Grieve. I call it the ginger tom of the apple world!
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I have been given a pile of horse manure which was created during the winter months. I propose digging it in to a veg patch in the late autumn. So that it fully rots down should I keep it covered or uncovered?
Roy Henderson, Dorset |
It is best to keep it covered otherwise some goodness will be washed out by the rain. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I planted a young (two ft high) clematis Edward Markham last month and the old leaves are darkening, drying and dying. They seem to dry up, curl and die. New leaves look really healthy, then they do the same. It's growing really well and I don't really want to move it again. The roots are covered well. Help!
Catherine Burrows, Saintfield, Northern Ireland |
Your clematis is suffering from a fungal disease called mildew.
Treat it with a fungicide like Fungus Fighter or Fungus Clear. You will need a couple of applications at least, put on 10 days apart. Keep the plant well fed and watered. <<Back to gardening questions index |
My sempervivum started life as a happy clutch of rosettes just a few weeks ago, but the central rosette has shot up to a height of approx 6ins and is rather leggy and pale green instead of with ruby tips. What am I doing wrong?
Ann McIvor, Glastonbury |
I think that your sempervivum is just making a flower stalk and the head of flowers on the top will probably be a pinky red.
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I planted a rhododendron Baden Baden last autumn and in the early spring it was full of buds but the buds never flowered and when I touch them they just drop off although they are large and the plant looks very healthy - even giving new shoots to the sides of the buds. it is in an acid soil by the way. Please help.
Trixie Domoney, Dorset |
The buds on your rhododendron has been killed by a fungal disease, which could have been caused by all the damp weather over the winter.
If the buds developed tiny black bristles all over them the disease was bud blast, again a fungus but in this case spread by tiny insects called leaf hoppers. Take off the brown buds and look after the plant as normal. Hopefully all will be well next year. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have some wallflowers that bloom and do not die. They have bloomed for two years now. Do I cut them back, if so when?
Barbara Banks, Beckenham, Kent |
Wallflowers can live for years - we just treat them as annual bedding plants to suit our purpose.
Cut the plants back just to leave a couple of buds of the newer wood after flowering is over.
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I have a late flowering clematis on a west facing wall which has been there for about eight years. Every year it starts off healthy enough but as it nears flowering the leaves turn brown and the flowering shoots develop a white powdery covering. In short it looks as though it is dying although it usually flowers well. Any suggestions as to how I can avoid this?
Craig Napier, Ayr |
Your clematis is suffering from a fungal disease called powdery mildew.
Keep the plant well watered, as it tends to afflict plants which become dry at the roots, and spray it at least three times with a fungicide. Among the ones to look out for are Systhane Fungus Fighter or Fungus Clear, and space the treatments 10 days apart. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have two wisteria, one of which has flowered and produced leaves as usual and is absolutely beautiful. The other has failed to do anything at all this year. Both plants are mature and reach a height of about 10m. Can you help? Is all lost and will the plant have to be dug out?
Mrs M Bennett, Hatherley,Cheltenham |
The best way to test if your wisteria really is dead is to scratch the bark on the main trunk in order to expose the tissue beneath.
If this is green and sappy then the plant still lives and could well shoot out again. If it is dry and brown then I'm afraid that you must dig the plant up and start again. The most likely killer would be a fungal root rotting disease called phytopthora and I would change a large amount of the soil from that area before planting another wisteria. <<Back to gardening questions index |
| How do I stop badgers from coming into my garden at night and digging up my lawn? Charlene Moore |
This question comes up a lot and there is no really effective solution short of erecting a low electric fence around your garden.
Badgers are very similar to bears to my mind and they seem to follow their age old customs in spite of modern developments all around them. Try using a strong animal repellent like Renardine, available from garden centres. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have a small, foot-high lemon tree which has grown a full size lemon. The lemon is firm and healthy but the tree is suffering, sparce and with leaves curling.
Should I take off the lemon and prune or leave well alone?
Sue Williams, Evesham |
Taking off the fruit will help your lemon to recover but there is something wrong with the way you are treating the plant. Keep it on wide saucer of moist gravel and spray over the foliage regularly with plain water in order to build up the humidity. Try to keep the tree evenly moist, and feed it regularly with special citrus fertiliser. Chempak make one that should be stocked by most garden centres. There is a version for summer and one for winter as the plants need feeding all the year round. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have two hostas in pots. I have put wire mesh around the top to keep slugs out but are still being eaten. Can you tell me by what and can I spray with anything?
Norman, Hemel Hempstead |
As you have found out slugs just go through wire mesh. Water the plant with a liquid slug killer like Scotts Slug Clear, and smear some petroleum jelly around the pot about half way up. This will help to stop new slugs crawling up in to the pot as they will not cross your barrier due to its petroleum content. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I want to clean a stone wall of green algae and moss. I have rockery plants growing on top of the wall. What is the safest product to use?
Ron Thomas, Weymouth |
As your plants are in the top of the wall you should be able to avoid getting any of the product on the foliage. There are lots of path and patio cleaning solutions in garden centres and all should do a good job although the Bio and Jeyes ones are good. <<Back to gardening questions index |
