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…
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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.…
Before Moving a Magnolia, Decide Whether It Needs Moving
Moving a magnolia is a much bigger intervention than changing the position of a houseplant. Before lifting anything, identify the actual problem: too little room, a permanently wet site, shade or simply a view you…
Rosemary Has No Flowers: What to Check Before Feeding
A rosemary plant can be useful and healthy without carrying flowers. If the shoots are growing and the foliage looks sound, a missing display is a reason to review its conditions, not immediately increase fertiliser.…
Golden Buckwheat and Common Buckwheat: How to Tell Them Apart
Both are in the genus Fagopyrum and both have the same triangular leaves and small five-lobed white flowers. The differences are in the leaf size, the length of the flower stalk against its bract, and…