This year we held our annual Gardeners’ Question Time Garden Party at our GQT garden at Sparsholt College near Winchester, Hampshire. This year it was a serious scorcher with baking sun and sometimes oppressive heat, but it certainly seemed that the visitors were having a good time.
We recorded two programmes for Radio 4, the first will be going out this Friday and then on the Sunday, the second will be for the following week, so do tune in if you get the chance. There were also all sorts of demonstrations and activities going on. Bunny Guinness demonstrated her ‘limbering-up-for-gardening’ exercises; a poor, unfortunate soul attempted to convert a very stubborn Eric Robson to the art of flower arranging; Anne Swithinbank ran her house plant clinic and there were numerous opportunities to talk garden design. I had a great time chatting about pests and pathogens in the potting shed. It was amazing just how many people were happy to queue in the hot sun to talk about their problems (it got so hot that we started trying to cram them into the potting shed instead).
And it was fascinating to see just what the trends were – I saw hordes of scale insects and plenty of powdery mildew. There were also a worrying number of yellowed raspberry leaves – some caused by magnesium deficiency, with others resulting from too alkaline a soil.
I found it fascinating and just want to apologise to all those who were turned away from the potting shed door when we ran out of time!
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Comments
hiya,
could someone tell me what are theses flys that have seem to of landed in my garden,they are millions of them and they are all over the ponds,,,,they are not on the plants just hoovering over water,also they are very small….
help.
What insect builds a cocoon of leaves in soil (of spring cabbage seedlings)?
I have creatures similar to wasps/bees that have made a hole in the soil of my spring cabbage seedlings and keep returning with small pieces of leaves. When I broke the soil away there are neat cocoons made of the leaves with a waxy substance inside. What are the creatures?
I love gardeners world but find it completely ruined for me by the incessant, intrusive so-called music in the background. I struggle to hear the dialogue. Tonight the pianist was repeatedly playing 3 notes over and over again. Why do we need it, what does it add?
I have got a type of soft whit e fungus on my japanse maple and on my bay leaf tree one small one has died what is how can i stop it spreadinBg thanksBrian.
I have clusters of eggs and black flys with red makings all over my cherry tree. Whole areas of leaves appear to be decimated by this. Anyone know what it may be and if there is a solution?
Thanks.
How do you prevent rust on hollyhock leaves?
I’ve got blck dots on my mint, surrounded by what looks like a sticky white web. I’m quite new to gardening and have no idea what is is. Save my mint!
Thank you
I have 8 tomato plants in my greenhouse and have done for the last 2 years with no problem this year disaster has sruck and 3 of the plants have curley leaves and the growth seems to have been stunted and the stems have white lumps along the main stem please help this has never happend before and i am scared thatit might spread to the other 5 plants
I have noticed in a garden alot of small grass hoppers appearing over the last month. Are they harmful to the grass/plants and if so how can I get rid of them? I have cats and kids so it would need to be something that is not harmful to them
My runner bean flowers are smothered in pollen beetles will they affect crop
production?
To Brianuk
I, too had a problem with my Japanese maple. A scale-type inspect with a shite ‘cotton wool’ tipe casing. Had to resort to an insecticide on advice from chap at local garden centre. He thought it was mealy bug???
Brian-uk – Pardon the typo! I meant white of course! Also, garden centre chap said that the leaves may fall off the plant after using the insecticide but not to worry as they would grow back. Have had some leaf loss but not a lot. Will check future typing before I submit. Apologies for any offence.
Doodi – I would also like to hear of a solution to hollyhock rust. The plant is very sturdy and has lots of buds but the leaves are dereadful.
Lyn – I also found neat cocoons made of leaves under the soil of my salad seedlings in the greenhouse. I wonder what they are? My seedlings all died off. The centre of the cocoon was full of smelly goo.
our front lawn is full of moss and weeds and the soil is mostly clay we wish to try and make it look good for next year as our daughter is getting married and wish to photos in the garden before she leaves can you tell us the best way to get it looking lush and green
hi i live on east coast we have had thousands of little black flying beetles they are all over the plants and destroyin them anyone know what they are and how to get rid of pls
Nearly all Hollyhocks get rust. It is totally harmless, just a bit unsightly. The rust “spores lay dormant in the plant over winter, and so the only way to control it is by growing new plants every year or two. That is why they are classed as “Biennials”( grow one year and flower the next). You can grow your own successfully from seed taken from existing plants in your garden, or buy seed from a reputable firm.
my runner beans have so many black fly anyone can help me
could someone tell me what has nested in my log nest,it looks like a small bee and is also carrying a cut out piece of leaf into the hole on the log,
2 of the hole have also got a leaf covering the holes,so something is in there,i’ve only had it hanging in the garden for 2 weeks and i have just noticed today something flying into it,hence i then noticed the other side had been occupied.
Hello, I’m new to greenhouse gardening and all well so far, except a few of my Lavender plants grown from seed are going green on the top of the compost. Am I watering too much? I do find it difficult to gauge watering. Any help gratefully received.
Regards
How do you avert Birds from attacking the red pods on the beans. They seem to
get moisture I am told from the pods.
Dennis
I had loads of flowers on my runner beans but now most of them have been cut clean off, is it birds or slugs, help please.
I would like to ask a question on scarifiers and lawnrakers,but I can not find a way into your questionaire.
we have always had an infestation of flys in our garden and wondered why? we first thought something had died, thankfully that wasnt the case. how do I get rid of them, I have fly traps all over the back of my garden to attract them away from the house, this works a little and would like to know if certain plants have attracted them?
Anyone help with advice on Aubergines?
Flowers have started dropping off, with Stem attached.
This is my first try at Aubergine,so totally at a loss what to do.
I have a small patio gaeden full of tubs and planters.How to I deter squirrels from digging up my bulbs? I can not put wire in them as there are perenials and small trees in some.
I have just noticed something which could either be a fungus or an insect web on my conifer hedge. There are multiple patches on the hedge – which was last cut in November. It looks slightly purplish in colour and I can’t see any insects. It COULD be a fungus because it has that slightly angular weblike appearance and its structure is quite ‘open’. I haver never seen anything like this before and as it is already appearing in lots of places along the hedge which stretches the full length of my garden I’m worried that it will affect the trees. My neighbour (who owns the hedge) keeps it trimmed and so do we so it is usually in fairly good condition but it has been extremely hot and dry in the east lately so this may be a factor.
Hi, my name is neil williams, i have invented a new type of garden fence post “FACE POST ” i have sent numerous e-mails to gardeners world in the past, all to no avail !! i would be gratefull if you could please look at the video of the working protoype of FACE POST, on you tube just enter ” fence post da movie ” and please give me your honest and professional oppinion. If you could send me a e-mail address to reply to i could then send you letters and design pictures of FACE POST, ( a new concept in garden fence posts ).
kind regards- neil
I’ve always grown tomatoes without many problems but quite suddenly they/re covered in brown patches and shrivelling up.Please help someone !
My green acer has developed a black line that is gradually widening and creeping up the trunk.I scraped the trunk below the line and its brown. today the leaves have all turned brown and curled under. We moved it to our new house and planted it last Autumn. Can anybody help
Aaaarrrggh
How do get rid of millipedes from veg plot. The are devastating my crop of vegetables. What can I do to get rid of them… Naturally or chemically???? Please help.