Not everything in the garden is lovely. Consider this hosta with snail damage that has ravaged the leaves so that they are just a mass of ribbons and holes. Slugs and snails are a pest at the best of times but this plant was in a wet spot and has suffered accordingly. See our slug and snail tips for help to prevent this in your garden (if you can trust someone who has a plant like this)

This is a picture of a Holyhock with an early stage of rust. Rust is yellow spots and grains starting on the reverse of the leaf that stop leaves functioning. This is a regular problem with most Holyhocks in our area and is exacerbated by wet conditions. By later on in the season leaves will be falling off and the plant will be in a sorry state. Even plants that are said to be resistant have shown signs of rust the progress of which can be slowed by fungicides.

This isn’t frost damage on the Hydrangea so I assume it is wind burn on some of the early opening flower heads. Normally my hydrangeas don’t suffer from pests and problems but very young plants need some protection from slugs.

Most of the infected leaves have already denuded this rose tree. The last few spotted leaves will be cut off and burnt. It isn’t safe to compost such infected leaves as the spores will persist and return via the compost when it is spread. The rose will be pruned heavily and given a fungicide treatment now and again in spring in the hope that the problem wont recur. the roses next to this tree are fit and healthy so it is worth looking for resilient varieties when you buy new ones. The cost is normally low enough that I should oust the spotted plant right now.

Confessions of a Gardener

• My other garden problems are more personal. Laziness and apathy sometimes stop me getting down to some hard graft.
• Leaving dirty and hard jobs for another day emphasizes that procrastination is the thief of garden produce.
• Another personal trait is the failure to plan, label or record what I have going on in the garden.
• I start one job and get distracted or find something more enjoyable to tackle.
• I plant too close together, weed too late and skimp on the overall tidiness or lack thereof.