Forum

If you would like to email a gardening question we will post the answer here. If you have a different solution please email and I will post it here.

How can I combat the dreaded Narcissus fly? Many of my bulbs were badly infested with the grubs last year. I did read that bluebell woods harbour these insects!
Can anyone help with this problem?

The Narcissus Bulb fly lays its eggs in the bulb and the grub hollows out the inside. Dispose of the bulbs and re-plant in a fresh site, slightly more exposed and shadier, as the flies prefer a warm sunny site. There are unfortunately no chemical controls. (answer taken from the spring edition of Cuttings from Coolings - www.coolings.co.uk)

Why is there so much groundsel in my Garden this Autumn?
The seeds has most probably been blown in from elsewhere and you need to weed the plants out before they set seed.

How do you get rid of giant bellbind?
There is no easy solution to this - you need to dig it out

Can anyone help with the name of this plant?
(Jackie Adams, Autumn 2006)