My potted geraniums have all gone sick looking. They were fine up to recently but now the leaves and flower petals are covered in a white coating.
During autumn all plants can become infected with fungus of one kind or another. This is nature’s way of putting an end to growth.
Give your plants a leaf drench with any brand of fungicide and allow plenty of air to circulate around them.
I bought some Crown Imperials (Fritillaria) but they seem to have a huge hole in their centre. Is this normal?
Crown Imperials have holes where last year’s bloom arose from. It is quite normal to find this but do take care when planting for if stood upright, these same holes could fill with water and rot the bulb. Plant sideways to prevent this happening.
My new-sown lawn has come up full of weeds. I bought the best seed so what went wrong?
All new lawns come up with weeds (usually annual kinds) and once the grass is cut, these will disappear for good.
Do not apply a weed-killer, cut the grass.
I bought a lovely red-leaved Acer in spring but up to the time of writing it has not turned the flame-red I expected. Is my soil the problem?
I assure you it is not too late for a good showing. All that’s required is a night or two of frost, a few cold days perhaps.
Do nothing in the meantime.
