My Garden

As usual the science and advice team will be manning the advice desk at the show.  In addition the Wisley garden staff are presenting an exhibit in the Growing Tastes marquee and will join the advice team to give expert advice on growing fruit and veg.

It has been a great year for insects so far, with an influx of painted lady butterflies, blackfly and greenfly, gooseberry sawflies and many reports of harlequin ladybirds and their larvae, particularly on broad beans:

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One of the things we like most about Chelsea, and indeed all RHS flower shows, are the visitors who only rarely visit Wisley and take the opportunity while at the show to meet the advice team face-to-face.

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As usual an amazing variety of questions were answered at Chelsea by the advice team – the top ten were:

1. Lily beetles These conspicuous beetles are on the move in spring and promnpt action is needed to stop them devastating lilies
2. Growing asparagus 
3. Viburnum beetles  Holes begin to appear on viburnums now and the beetle grubs are present on the undersides of leaves
4. Citrus – caring for them after a stressful period indoors over-winter Repotting, feeding and placing outside in summer are the usual remedies, but we find inadvertant over-watering is the commonest cause of citrus death
5. Wisteria – sudden leaf browning.  The casue of this is often hard to find, but we suspect that graft incompatibility may be to blame, particularly where suckers are arising from the base, but the main part of the climber has died back.  Check the graft region for significant differences between the wood above and below the graft.  Unfortunately replacement is usually called for.    
6. Wisteria Scale - this pest has been in the news and our insect experts have sumarised the situation here
7. Failure of recently planted trees and shrubs  The recent sun and wind has drawn mosture out of newly planted trees and shrubs taking many gardeners by surprise.  Prompt watering or even lifting plants, soaking the rootball in a bucket of water and replanting, can save the plant
8. Getting rid of ground elder
9. Rose pruning
10.  Caterpillars – why are there so many this year?  Our insect experts point out that numbers of insects fluctuate naturally but possible bird mortality might have been higher this winter due to the colder than usual conditions.  However plentiful caterpillars should mean well fed-fledglings.  Winter moths have been especially noticeable this spring Read More...

Chelsea week is a busy one for the advice team as in addition to carrying on as usual with the Member’s Advisory Service we provide an advice desk to help all show visitors. 

Two advisors have been busy today at the show site stocking the stand with all the equipment and materials the advice team will need to answer the expected 3000 questions from show visitors.  The computers and printers have been tested, but because electricity at shows is subject to ‘outages’ back up in the form of printed material is ready

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We would be most grateful for your opinions on our new advice information sheets. 

 Do they work for you/  Can you find what you want? 

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