If there’s one plant pest that causes more worry to gardeners than any other, it’s probably the Black vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus). The adults are flightless beetles, black in colour with dull yellow spots on their backs and about 1cm long. They also have distinctive elongated snouts and so are sometimes called snout beetles. And they are usually first seen

There’s a concerted effort to try and stop foreign species of flora and fauna from entering Britain through the importation of various goods. However, there are always going to be some that slip through the net, which then trigger alarm bells, particularly when our native ecology could be at risk from the invasive species. Occasionally though, the appearance of a

Rose aphids are a common species to be seen in the garden on Rosacea plants and are often regarded as a problem that needs resolving.  However, they’re usually one of the first aphid species to appear after winter and are actually important for sustaining a healthy balance of wildlife in a garden habitat. The reason being that they’re a valuable

As another year in the garden comes to a close, it is the perfect opportunity to take stock of the 2021 season. What were your stand-out crops? Did you do anything differently this year that you would do again? Are there any crops you wouldn’t want to grow again?  Although the days on the plot might be gentler and slower,

It’s been a while since we welcomed another champion to the PlantGrow family, but we had to bring Adam from @viewfromthepottingbench on board! The host of the Tales From The Potting Bench podcast, Adam chats with knowledgeable gardeners from across the community to share insights on herbs, TV gardening, allotments and more. Adam’s Instagram documents his family’s journey as they build their

Anyone that’s into gardening knows who Mark Lane is. Mark is the first BBC gardening presenter in a wheelchair and you will have seen him on BBC Morning Live, BBC Gardeners’ World and the RHS Flower shows. He’s also a garden expert presenter on QVC and is the UK’s first garden designer in a wheelchair. We were lucky enough to welcome Mark

We’ve just got back from Gardeners’ World Live at the Birmingham NEC and it’s safe to say that we had a blast! It was so special to be able to meet with so many friends, colleagues and customers after such a long time apart. Here are just some of our highlights from an unforgettable weekend. Watching Monty Don The PlantGrow

Leatherjackets are what we call the soil dwelling grubs of long, dangly-legged flies known as Crane flies or Daddy-Longlegs. The grubs are tubular, greyish-brown in colour and have no legs or visible heads. They develop from eggs that the adult Crane flies usually lay into lawns at the end of summer, and throughout Autumn, the young leather jackets feed on

The common Gooseberry Sawfly is a common yet troublesome pest of Gooseberry, Red and White Currant bushes.  During early spring, the adult sawfly which have yellow bodies and black heads, emerge from pupae having spent the winter months underground.  They mate before the females fly off to lay their eggs on the underside of young leaves, usually within the centre

Common Garden wasps are often referred to as yellow jackets. They are a social wasp, which build nests and live in a colony that’s governed by an egg-laying queen. Although there are over 9,000 different species of wasps in the UK, only eight species are social wasps, which includes the European Hornet.  The remaining species are all solitary wasps that

The common assumption that all slugs are plant pests couldn’t be further from the truth, since it is only a relatively small number that primarily feed on plants. So, here in the British Isles, less than 20% of the 40 or so resident slug species cause problems to gardeners and growers, whilst the remaining species have important roles within the

The last 18 months have been tough for all of us, and we’re happy to be getting back to some form of normality. That means being able to attend events again – and we’re delighted to announce that we’ll be at the Norfolk Garden Show! The show, which is visiting the Norfolk Showground between 16th – 18th July, will celebrate