Biggest garden threat identified

Biggest garden threat identified

» 12th March 2010 «

Brits focusing on improving their garden this year may wish to peruse the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) list of the biggest issues affecting growers in the UK over the past year.

The five-strong list was compiled after studying the enquiries put to members over the past 12 months.

It revealed that the number one threat to UK gardens during 2009 was the honey fungus, while fungal leaf spots were also problematic.

Commonly-affected plants that suffer from the latter are roses, hellebores and primulas, which are all particularly susceptible to the rose black spot strain.

Another big issue is powdery mildew - a problem caused by more bothersome fungi - which leaves a white, dusty coating on plants.

In other news, gardeners worried about the recent media links between potting composts and Legionnaires disease should not fret, the RHS has suggested.

It explained that the risk is low and that the problem is more often linked with standing water.