Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Topic areas
Fruit, vegetables and herbs
Flower garden
Trees, shrubs, climbers, roses and hedges
Glasshouse, conservatory and houseplants
Lawns and meadows
Containers
Ponds
Garden design, construction and plant selection
Environmental factors affecting plants - including climate - and plant disorders
Weeds, weed control and related problems
Soils
Plant propagation
Pruning and training
Garden wildlife
General
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Fruit and vegetable garden
Fruit
Apples: biennial bearing
Apples: choosing cultivars
Apples: identifying fruit buds
Apples: pruning established trees
Apples: summer pruning
Apples and pears: pruning new trees
Apples and pears: renovating trees
Apples and pears: thinning fruit
Apricots: cultivation
Apricots: thinning fruit
Blackberries: propagation
Blueberries
Cane and bush fruit: pruning and training
Citrus plants - general cultivation
Citrus plant problems
Cherries: acid
Cherries: sweet
Encouraging good fruit pollination
Fan training fruit
Feeding and mulching fruit trees
Figs in containers
Fig pruning & renovation
Fruit for pots and smaller gardens
Gooseberries, redcurrants, whitecurrants
Grapes: pruning
Grapes summer care, pruning and thinning
Grease bands
Harvesting
Hedgerow fruit
Hybrid berry: pruning
Kiwi fruit: growing
Olives growing
Peaches and nectarines: thinning fruit
Plums: bullaces, wild plums and myrobalans
Plums: pruning
Plums: thinning fruit
Raspberries: autumn fruiting
Rhubarb: growing
Strawberries: growing
Summer pruning of fruit trees and bushes
Storing fruit
Walnut: pruning
Weed control in the fruit garden
Winter pruning of fruit trees
Winter washes on fruit trees
Fruit pests
Aphids (blackfly, greenfly and others); Aphid predators
Blackcurrant big bud mite
Brown scale
Capsid bugs
Cats
Cherry blackfly
Citrus pests
Codling moth
Currant blister aphid
Glasshouse leafhopper
Glasshouse red spider mite
Glasshouse whitefly
Gooseberry sawfly
Leopard moth
Pear fruitlet gall midge
Pear pests
Pigeons
Plum leaf-curling aphid
Plum moth (Cydia funebrana)
Rabbits
Raspberry beetle
Raspberry leaf and bud mite
Scale insects
Slugs
Snails
Squirrels
Vine weevil
Winter moth caterpillars
Fruit diseases & other problems
Apple bitter pit
Apple canker
Apple scab
Apple sooty blotch and fly speck
Bacterial canker
Blossom wilt
Brown rot
Cane fruit: common problems
Cherry fruit drop
Cherry leaf scorch
Cold damage
Grape: common problems
Grape shanking
Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)
Peach leaf curl
Pear rust
Pear scab
Pocket plum
Powdery mildews
Replant disease
Saprophytic fungi
Shothole disease
Silver leaf
Strawberry black eye
Vegetables
For a wealth of advice on growing vegetables, visit our Grow your own VEG area
6 easy gourmet vegetables
10 easy vegetables
Allotment: starting one
Asparagus growing
Beans: growing
Bolting in vegetables
Brussels sprout problems
Choosing the right vegetables
Courgette failure
Crop rotation
Cucurbit crops: choosing
Cut and come again vegetables
Getting started in the vegetable garden
Globe artichokes: growing
Growing vegetables in containers
Horticultural fleece for early crops
Onions: sowing and planting
Onion sets, shallots and garlic: planting
Peppers and chillies: growing
Perennial vegetables
Pollination of glasshouse crops
Potatoes: choosing and chitting seed
Potatoes: growing
Potatoes: growing for the festive season
Potatoes: growing in pots
Potatoes: lifting and storing
Producing salads and herbs in growing-bags
Pumpkins and squashes: storing
Raised beds
Root vegetables: splitting
Root vegetables: storing
Runner bean failure
Salads through the seasons
Salads and herbs: growing
Sowing tender vegetables
Sowing vegetable seeds
Successional sowing
Sweetcorn: growing
Sweet potatoes: growing
Summer vegetable sowing
Tomatoes: choosing outdoor cultivars
Tomatoes: choosing the right kind (bush vs vine)
Tomatoes: growing
Transplanting vegetables
Weedkiller contaminated manure
Vegetables for early spring
Vegetables in winter
Watering vegetables
Vegetable pests
Aphids (blackfly, greenfly and others); Aphid predators
Asparagus beetle
Broad bean seed beetle
Cabbage caterpillars
Cabbage whitefly
Capsid bugs
Carrot fly
Cats
Flea beetles on brassicas
Glasshouse leafhopper
Glasshouse red spider mite
Glasshouse whitefly
Green shield bugs
Leek moth
Mealy cabbage aphid
Pea moth
Pigeons
Pollen beetles
Potato cyst eelworms
Potato slug damage
Rabbits
Slugs
Snails
Squirrels
Thrips
Vegetable diseases and other problems
Blossom end rot
Brassica downy mildew
Brassica white blister
Broad bean leaf diseases
Curcurbits: common problems
Leek rust
Lettuce downy mildew
Mint rust
Onion white rot
Onion downy mildew
Onion neck rot
Potato black scurf
Potato blight
Potato powdery scab
Potato problems - rots
Potato skin problems
Runner and French bean problems
Sclerotinia diseases
Spinach problems
Tomato blight
Tomato leaf mould
Tomato viruses
Tomatoes: problems
Herbs
Herbs (and salads): growing
Herbs: growing in containers
Herbs (and salads): growing in growing-bags
Propagation
Flower garden
General
Cutting and conditioning flowers
Annuals
Hanging basket maintenance
Hardy annuals
Hardy annuals for sowing in autumn
Propagating silver plants
Sweet peas: problems; pollen beetles
Sweet peas: sowing and training
Perennials
Bananas: cultivation
Bananas, cannas, and tree ferns: overwintering
Canna cultivation
Cutting back perennials
Dahlia flower balling
Dahlias: overwintering
Daylilies cultivation
Deadheading
Dividing perennials
Eremurus: cultivation
Grasses: cutting back and tidying up
Grasses: dividing
Grasses: Five good garden grasses
Hardening off tender plants
Hardy fern cultivation
Hellebores: care of
Hemerocallis cultivation
Hostas: dividing
Pelargoniums: overwintering
Penstemon: cultivars for the garden
Penstemon cuttings
Penstemon pruning
Propagating silver plants
Propagating tender perennials
Protecting tender perennials over winter
Supporting perennials
Bulbous plants
Agapanthus: growing in containers
Agapanthus: non-flowering
Alliums
Autumn-flowering bulbs: selection and planting
Bulb planting
Bulbs for Christmas flowering
Choosing and planting spring- and summer-flowering bulbs
Crocosmia: division
Daffodil blindness and poor flowering
Dierama division
Dierama cultivation
English and Spanish bluebells
Irises: dividing
Lifting, drying and storing bulbs
Lilies: propagation
Lilies: growing in pots
Naturalising bulbs
Snowdrops: dividing
Spring bulbs: cultivation and care
Summer-flowering bulbs: selecting
Tulip care
Pests
Angle shades moth
Ants
Aphids (blackfly, greenfly and others); Aphid predators
Capsid bugs
Cats
Cuckoo spit
Deer-resisting plants
Green shield bugs
Earwigs
Figwort weevils
Foxes
Glasshouse leafhopper
Glasshouse red spider mite
Hellebore pests
Iris sawfly
Leaf and bud eelworms
Lily beetle
Lupin aphid
Michaelmas daisy mite
Millipedes
Mullein moth
Narcissus eelworm
Phlox eelworm
Phormium mealybug
Pollen beetles
Rabbits
Slugs
Snails
Squirrels
Thrips
Vine weevil
Woodlice
Diseases and other problems
Antirrhinum rust and other problems
Bicoloured flowers
Brassica white blister
Canna viruses
Chrysanthemum white rust
Chrysanthemum problems
Daffodil viruses
Delphinium black blotch
Fasciation
Flower mutations (proliferation)
Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)
Hellebore black death
Hellebore leaf spot and root problems
Impatiens necrotic spot virus
Narcissus basal rot
Narcissus leaf scorch
Pansy downy mildew
Pelargonium viruses
Peony wilt
Powdery mildews
Primula leaf spot
Saprophytic fungi
Sclerotinia diseases
Snowdrops: grey mould
Sweet pea viruses
Tulip fire
Tulip viruses
Trees, shrubs, climbers, roses and hedges
Trees & shrubs
Acacia pruning
Acer palmatum cultivation
Acer pruning
Autumn colour
Bamboo control
Bamboo maintenance
Birch (Betula) for winter interest
Box (Buxus) growing
Buying specimen trees
Camellias: cultivation, pruning, propagation and problems
Care of newly planted trees
Ceanothus: growing as a wall shrub
Cherries: acid
Cherries: sweet
Composting woody waste
Daphne: growing and maintenance
Distinguishing Philadelphus, Deutzia and Weigela
Eucalyptus pruning
Grease bands
Hamamelis pruning
Hydrangea growing
Hydrangea pruning
Lavender cuttings
Lavender growing
Magnolia summer pruning
Magnolia seedling
Mistletoe growing
Moving established trees and shrubs
Palms: hardy
Penstemon pruning
Plant establishment
Planting tender trees
Planting root-wrapped trees
Planting trees at the right level
Planting under trees
Planting yew
Propagating silver shrubs
Renovating shrubs
Rhododendron pruning
Roses: choosing one for your garden
Root pruning
Rose growing in containers
Rose planting
Rosemary cuttings
Shrub establishment
Shrub renovation
Shrubs: growing from seed
Topiary training
Trees and shrubs with attractive bark
Tree establishment
Tree planting, establishmnet and other problems relating to climate change
Tree ferns
Tree peonies
Trees: choosing a tree surgeon
Trees in containers
Trees near buildings
Tree Preservation Orders
Trees: removing limbs
Tree and shrub establishment
Trees for small gardens
Tree staking
Tree stump removal
Tree suckers
Trees for wet soils
Winter-flowering shrubs
Walnut: pruning
Yew: planting
Climbers
Campsis: pruning
Clematis: green flowers
Clematis montana: pruning overgrown
Climbers: training & pruning on planting
Climbers/wall shrubs: pruning and training
Climbers/wall shrubs: pruning overgrown
Growing in containers
Honeysuckle: pruning
Propagation of climbers
Wisteria: pruning and training including standards
Hedges
Conifer hedges: pruning & trimming
Conifer hedges: species
Hedge laying
Hedge planting
High hedges
Leyland cypress: pruning
Pruning & trimming
Renovating existing hedges
Screening: plants for
Selecting the best plants
Yew: planting
Problems
Acer leaf scorch
Algae on leaves
Aucuba blackening
Brown patches on conifer hedges
Camellia bud drop
Camellia disorders
Camellia leaf yellowing
Camellia: non-flowering
Garrya browning
Horse chestnut problems
Hydrangea problems
Lichens on trees and shrubs
Photinia leaf spot
Renovating old shrubs
Reversion of variegated foliage
Reversion & sporting
Rhododendron: non-flowering
Rose balling
Rose blindness
Roses: flower mutation (proliferation)
Rose sickness (replant disease)
Shrubs: non flowering and fruiting
Shrubs: non flowering in containers
Sumach suckers
Tree peony problems
Trees and shrubs: brown leaves
Trees: leaf problems
Wind scorch on evergreens
Wisteria: flower failure
Pests
Angle shades moth
Ants
Aphids (blackfly, greenfly and others); Aphid predators
Bay sucker
Box sucker
Brown scale
Camellia cushion scale
Capsid bug
Cats
Cherry blackfly
Cuckoo spit
Cypress aphid
Deer-resisting plants
Eucalyptus gall wasp
Figwort weevils
Fuchsia gall mite
Glasshouse red spider mite
Green shield bugs
Green spruce aphid
Hazel big bud mite
Holly leaf miner
Holm oak leaf-mining moth
Horse chestnut scale
Horse chestnut leaf-mining moth
Hydrangea scale
Knopper gall on oaks
Leaf-cutting bees
Leopard moth
Lime nail gall mite
Oak galls
Oak Processionary Moth
Pineapple gall adelgid on spruce trees
Privet weevil
Rabbits
Rose aphids
Rose leaf-rolling sawfly
Rose large sawfly
Rosemary beetle
Sage leafhopper
Scale insects
Squirrels
Thrips
Viburnum beetle
Viburnum whitefly
Vine weevil
Webber moths on cotoneaster
Winter moth caterpillars
Woolly beech aphid
Diseases
Blossom wilt (of Prunus and related plants)
Box blights
Bracket fungi on standing trees
Camellia gall
Camellia leaf blight
Camellia petal blight
Camellia yellow mottle virus
Clematis slime flux
Clematis wilt
Coral spot
Cornus anthracnose
Dutch elm disease
Fireblight
Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)
Holly leaf blight
Honey fungus
Horse chestnut bleeding canker
Horse chestnut leaf blotch
Leaf diseases of laurel
Phytophthora bleeding canker
Phytophthora ramorum
Phytophthora root rots
Powdery mildews
Pyracantha scab
Rhododendron bud blast
Rhododendron diseases
Rose blackspot
Rose mildew
Rose rust
Silver leaf
Top rots
Verticillium wilt
Glasshouse, conservatory and house plants
Artificial lighting
Biological controls
Buying houseplants
Christmas cactus
flowering
Christmas-flowering
houseplants
Christmas trees
Citrus plants
- general cultivation
Citrus plant problems
Clivia
cultivation
Cold frames and mini-greenhouses
Fruiting of Stephanotis floribunda
Gardenia bud drop
Greenhouse alternatives
Greenhouse choosing and setting up
Greenhouse cleaning
Greenhouse heaters
Greenhouse ventilation and shading
Greenhouse insulation
Growing fruit under glass
Growing on seedlings and plug plants
Growing edibles in your greenhouse
Growing prepared hyacinths for Christmas
Haemanthus cultivation
Hardy Cyclamen cultivation
Hippeastrum cultivation
Houseplant care
Houseplant holiday care
Houseplant winter care
Indoor climbers
Indoor hyacinths - non-flowering
Making a Christmas wreath
Mandevilla cultivation
Medinilla cultivation
Orchids - growing Cymbidium and Phalaenopsis
Orchids - growing Odontoglossum and Paphiopedilum
Overwintering plants in conservatories
Poinsettias
Pollination of glasshouse crops
Shading glasshouses and conservatories
Streptocarpus problems
Weeping fig leaf fall
Pests
Ants
Aphids (blackfly, greenfly and others); Aphid predators
Brown scale
Camellia
cushion scale
Citrus pests
Fuchsia gall mite
Glasshouse leafhopper
Glasshouse red
spider mite
Glasshouse whitefly
Leaf and bud eelworms
Mealybugs
Root mealybugs
Scale insects
Slugs
Snails
Springtails
Thrips
Vine weevil
Woodlice
Diseases
Cyclamen - grey mould
Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)
Lawns and meadows
Autumn lawn care
Dealing with leaves
How to mow a lawn
Lawns from seed or turf
Mowing techniques
Naturalising bulbs
Spring and summer lawn care
Wildflower meadows
- sowing
Wildflower meadows -
maintenance
Problems
Algae
on lawns
Coarse grasses in lawns
Dead patches
on lawns
Field woodrush
Lawns during drought
Lawns in shade
Lichen and algae
Liverworts
Mind-your-own-business (Soleirolia soleirolii)
Moss control
Repairing a patchy lawn
Reinforcing turf
Speedwell in lawns
Toadstools
Waterlogged lawn action plan
Weed control
Weeds
in autumn-sown lawns
Yarrow
Pests
Ants
Chafer grubs
Leatherjackets
Moles
Squirrels
Worm casts
Fungi
Fairy rings
Slime moulds in turf
Various fungal diseases - snow mould, red thread, leaf spots, take-all patch
Containers
Agapanthus: growing
Container maintenance
Containers in winter
Fruit for pots
Non-flowering container shrubs
Olives in containers
Peat-free growing media
Planting up tubs and containers
Roses in containers
Slow-release fertiliser 'eggs' (pellets)
Summer containers
Trees in containers
Vegetables in containers
Water-retaining
granules
Windowboxes and troughs
Winter containers
Winter hanging baskets
Pests
Ants
Aphids (blackfly, greenfly and others); Aphid predators
Glasshouse leafhopper
Glasshouse red
spider mite
Glasshouse whitefly
Leaf-cutting bees
Mealybugs
Root mealybugs
Slugs
Snails
Springtails in container-grown
plants
Vine weevil
Diseases
Problems
Ponds
Algae in ponds
Aquatic weeds
Bog gardens
Encouraging
amphibians into your garden
Planting aquatic plants
Pond care
Pond cleaning
Pond filters
Pond plant propagation
Preventing ponds
from freezing
Repairing leaky ponds
Summer maintenance
Waterlilies
Wildlife ponds
Pests
Garden design, construction and plant selection
Attractive seed pods
Bog gardens
Buying specimen trees
Creating a gravel garden
Creating and maintaining living structures
Cultivating a new-build garden
Drought-resistant gardening
Front Gardens - Are we parking on our gardens? Do driveways cause flooding?
Garden furniture maintenance
Garden lighting: effects on wildlife
Gravel gardens
Groundcover fabrics for weed suppression
Hiring contractors
Making the most of small gardens
Moving plants in and out of the European Union
Pergolas and arbours
Permeable hard landscaping
Planning a border for cut flowers
Plants for an arbour
Plants for dry corners and beds
Revitalising an over-mature border
Roof gardens and balconies
Safe use of electricity in the garden
Solar-powered lighting
Sources of information on garden design
Starting an allotment
Selecting plants for purchasing
Using annual climbers
Environmental
problems and plant disorders
Assessing your garden's microclimate
Biodegradable pots
Drought-resistant gardening
Drought-resisting plants
Dry corners and beds
Freezing weather & waterlogging
Frost damage
Installing drainage
Irrigation
Magnesium deficiency
Nutrient deficiencies
Oedema
Plant nutrition
Preventing winter damage
Shade: planting solutions
Shelter: techniques for creating and improving
Water - using, saving and collecting
Watering
Waterlogging
Waterlogging: aftercare
Water softening and acidifying
Weeds
Applying spot weedkillers and stump killers
Applying weedkillers with a sprayer
Groundcover fabrics for weed suppression
Using weedkillers safely and effectively
Algae, moss and lichens on trees and paths
Annual weed control
Bamboo control
Bindweed
Brambles, nettles and thistles
Celandine
Common ragwort
Couch grass
Field horsetail (mare's tail)
Field woodrush
Garden invaders
Giant hogweed
Ground elder
Himalayan balsam
Invasive non-native plants
Ivy on buildings
Japanese knotweed
Lawn weed control
Lichens
Liverworts
Mind-your-own-business (Soleirolia soleirolii)
Moss control
Oxalis
Perennial weed control
Slippery surfaces
Weedkiller damage
Winter heliotrope
Woody weeds
Yarrow in lawns
Soils
Building soil fertility
Buying topsoil
Caliente mustard: use as a biofumigant
Clay soils
Composting woody waste
Cultivation
Double digging
Earthworms
Green manuring
Leafmould
Lime and liming soils
Liverworts
Making compost and compost heaps
Mulches and mulching
Nutrient deficiencies
Peat-free growing media
Peat-free composts: making a choice
Plant nutrition
Pre-warming soil
Raised beds
Soil sickness
Soil type, pH and soil improvement
Using wood ash
Watering
Worm composting
Propagation and planting
Seeds
Autumn sown perennial seeds
Collecting and storing seeds
Creating a propagation environment
Germinating tree seeds
Growing on seedlings and plug plants
Growing shrubs from seed
Pre-warming soil
Sowing seeds indoors
Cuttings
Hardwood cuttings
Leaf cuttings
Root cuttings
Semi-ripe cuttings
Softwood cuttings
Other methods
Chip budding
Division of Crocosmia and Dierama
Ferns from spores
Grafting fruit trees
Grafting ornamentals
Layering plants
Propagating using suckers
T-budding
Tip layering blackberries
Propagating bulbs
Propagating climbers
Propagating conifers
Propagating herbs
Propagating ivy
Propagating roses
Propagating tender plants
Problems
Damping off of seedlings
Plant establishment
Pruning
Acacia
Acers
Apple trees
Apples and pears: new trees
Bleeding from pruning cuts
Cloud pruning
Coppicing
Broom
Campsis
Choosing a tree surgeon
Clematis
Clematis montana: overgrown
Climbers/wall shrubs: overgrown
Cornus
Eucalyptus
Grapes
Grapes: summer and thinning
Hamamelis
Hedges: renovating
Hedges: trimming
Honeysuckle
Hybrid berries
Hydrangea
Magnolia: summer pruning
Ornamental trees
Penstemon
Plums
Pollarding
Pruning tools
Pyracantha for berries
Rhododendron
Roses
Roses: climbing
Roses: cluster-flowered (floribundas)
Roses: overgrown
Roses: rambling
Roses: shrub
Root pruning
Shrubs: early-flowering
Shrubs: evergreen
Shrubs: pruning for stems, foliage, and flowers
Shrubs: renovating
Shrubs: summer-flowering
Shrubs: winter-flowering
Topiary
Trees: removing limbs
Walnut
Willow
Wisteria
Garden wildlife
Awakening after winter
Encouraging amphibians into your garden
Encouraging birds into your garden
Encouraging moths into your garden
Encouraging wildlife into your garden
Gardens and biodiversity
Garden lighting: effects on wildlife
Ground beetles
Native caterpillars
Plants for encouraging bees
Plants for encouraging birds
Plants for encouraging butterflies
Protecting bird nests
Providing water for wildlife
Wild flowers in the garden (Conservation & the Environment leaflet)
Wildlife in gardens (Conservation & the Environment leaflet)
Wildlife ponds
General
Fertiliser labels explained
Front Gardens - Are we parking on our gardens? Do driveways cause flooding?
Garden security
Getting children interested in plants
Harvesting wild mushrooms
Hiring contractors
Home nursery
Importing plants from abroad
Invasive non-native plants
Pesticide labels explained
Pesticides: changes in legislation explained
Pesticides: disposing of old chemicals
Pesticides: list of recently withdrawn chemicals
Pesticides: using safely
Plant hybrids: understanding
Plants that may cause irritation or allergic reactions
Safe use of electricity in the garden
Selecting the right pruning tool
Toadstools damaging tarmac
Toadstools in the garden
Watering plants and gardens; water saving and using