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It’s going to be a terrible year for slug damage.
“The signs of trouble are already out there and gardeners are leaping into action,” said chief advisor at the Royal Horticultural Society Guy Barter.
“Seedlings are being nibbled off and daffodil flowers have been devoured.”
Slugs enjoyed a bumper breeding season last summer. Although spring has been cold, soil temperatures were not low…
Gardeners face forking out a fortune to replace plants that have rotted during the wet winter.
Experts warned that trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants may fail to spring into life, as roots have turned to mush.
Gardeners on heavy clay soil are likely to be worst affected but plants on lighter sandy soils may also struggle – as nutrients have been washed…
Influential gardeners have paid their respects to world-famous rose breeder Peter Beales, who died on 26 January aged 76, following a long illness.
Peter, chairman of Peter Beales Roses of Norfolk, founded the company in 1968 and developed a range of over 1,000 roses.
Over 300 are unique to Peter’s collection. Last year, he unveiled the ‘Queen’s Jubilee Rose’ for the Diamond…
Do you have what it takes to design a garden for the Royal Horticultural Society and the BBC at a premier flower show?
BBC1’s The One Show has teamed up with the RHS in a new competition which will see one lucky amateur gardener create a garden at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show on 9 to 14 July.
Millions of…
The washout summer of 2012 helped slugs and snails retain their title of top plant pest.
Experts at the Royal Horticultural Society’s advisory service received almost twice as many enquiries about molluscs as cushion scale, the number two pest (see below).
Slugs and snails have been gardeners’ worst nightmare since 2011, when they knocked viburnum beetle off the top slot.
“The dominant feature…
Gardeners in Broughshane, Northern Ireland, have scooped gardening’s most prestigious award.
The Ulster community was crowned Champion of Champion at the RHS Britain in Bloom awards ceremony, which took place in Guernsey on 6 October.
“All five finalists were exceptional but there was no doubt about the winner,” said chair of the Britain in Bloom UK Judging Panel Roger Burnett.
“There is a…
Gardeners should watch out for a new pest that’s set up home in the UK.
The blue mint beetle (Chrysolina coerulans) was first reported to the Royal Horticultural Society’s entomology department in July 2011.
One year on, as there has only been a single confirmed sighting, the charity is keen to find out if it was an isolated outbreak – or if…
Keen gardeners with a passion for travel can now combine their two favourite hobbies.
The Royal Horticultural Society has teamed up with Collette Worldwide Holidays to launch RHS Holidays, special escorted tours for plant-lovers.
A brochure will be available in October for 2013-14 departures.
RHS director-general Sue Biggs said: “We know from research with our members that there is a strong demand for…
The Brewin Dolphin garden by Cleve West has won gold and best-in-show at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Cleve’s Main Avenue masterpiece highlighted the popularity of topiary, and aimed to showcase its potential use in gardens of all sizes.
TV gardener Joe Swift’s Homebase Teenage Cancer Trust plot – his first Chelsea attempt, won RHS gold, too.
Joe said he “couldn’t have wished…
Hillier, the nursery with 66 consecutive gold medals to its name, plans to fly the flag for the sport of fencing at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
The grower will stage a garden in the Great Pavilion to celebrate the sport shortly before the 2012 London Olympics gets underway.
Hillier’s exhibit is also a tribute to the Queen who is the patron…
