What are the strange lumps and growths on my plant?
Galls, burrs, crown gall and root nodules — the growths on plants that look alarming, and the short list that actually matters.
beginner15 min4 min read
Pests & Problems
Diagnosing what's eating, wilting or spotting your plants.
102 guides in Garden
What are the tiny white insects on my plant's roots?
Root aphid and root mealybug produce a plant that declines with nothing visible above the compost — how to find them and what actually clears them.
intermediate18 min4 min readWhat is the white froth on my plant's stems?
Cuckoo spit is a froghopper nymph hiding in bubbles it made itself — harmless in a garden, but worth reporting because of what the insect can carry.
beginner8 min3 min readHow do I photograph a plant problem so someone can actually diagnose it?
The five shots that let a knowledgeable person identify a plant problem remotely, and why a close-up of one leaf almost never does it.
beginner10 min3 min readHas road salt damaged my plants, and what can I do about it?
How to recognise de-icing salt damage from its position and timing, why it appears in spring rather than in winter, and what genuinely helps — plus what to plant where it keeps happening.
beginner25 min5 min readWhat do I do after hail has shredded my plants?
Why hail damage looks far worse than it is, the small number of things worth doing afterwards, and how to tell hail from the pest and disease damage it is mistaken for.
beginner30 min4 min read