Gardenia Buds Are Forming: Avoid Changing Everything at Once
A gardenia carrying buds is a tempting plant to fuss over. More feeding, a larger pot and a move to a better view may all seem helpful, but doing them together makes any resulting problem…
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Single or Double Peonies: Choosing Beyond Flower Colour
A single peony and a densely double one can share almost the same colour but look very different in a planting. Look at the entire open flower rather than judging from a tightly cropped photograph.…
Keeping Rainwater Out of a Peony's Decorative Outer Pot
A decorative outer pot can hide a drainage problem. After rain, water may collect around the nursery container even though the inner pot has perfectly good holes. Lift the inner pot and check the bottom…
Lantana Has Plenty of Leaves but Few Flowers
A leafy lantana is not necessarily short of food. Before changing fertiliser, look at the light reaching the plant and the growth you are asking it to support. A shrub tucked behind other plants may…
Choosing Marigolds for a Narrow Border: Read the Height First
Two trays of marigolds can look almost identical while they are small and still make very different plants in a border. Read the expected mature height and spread before choosing by flower colour. A compact…
Marigold Seedlings Look Crowded: Thin or Pot Them On?
A pot full of marigold seedlings can look successful at first, then become awkward to separate. Decide whether you want a few plants to stay in the container or whether you are raising individuals for…
A Bell Kalanchoe After Flowering: What Should You Remove?
When the last bell-shaped flowers fade, the plant often looks untidy before anything is actually wrong. Separate the old flower stalks from the healthy leafy stems before reaching for the scissors. Follow a faded stalk…
Aglaia Is Losing Leaves: Check Water and Light Separately
Leaf loss is a symptom, not a fertiliser recommendation. With potted Aglaia, begin by checking whether the plant's environment changed recently: a move indoors, a darker corner, colder nights or a different watering routine. Remove…
A Newly Planted Peony Is Quiet: When to Leave It Alone
A peony that makes little visible progress after planting does not automatically need lifting, feeding or moving. First establish what was planted, when it went in and whether the root area is drying out or…
Choosing an Osmanthus When You Have Only Seen Its Flowers
A close-up photograph tells you very little about the shrub you are buying. Flower colour is useful, but a plant with the right flowers can still be the wrong size or shape for a small…
Reading a Peony Flower Label Without Counting Every Petal
Terms such as single, lotus-shaped, crown and double describe the structure of a peony flower. They are helpful shorthand, but they are not a substitute for a cultivar name. Look at three things in an…
Training a Young Trumpet Vine Before Its Stems Become Tangled
A young trumpet vine is easier to arrange than a mature knot of stems. Put the support in place while there is still room to work, then decide which shoots will form the main framework.…