Vialii Guide To Top Garden Pests And Diseases

Thursday, 12 March 2020

Gardening is well known for being good for the heart and soul. But when garden pests and diseases start to shoulder in uninvited it can get those stress levels rising again! In this Vialii guide we share some pests and diseases to watch out for in the season ahead…

This list is based on the 2019 most common calls for advice by the RHS and isn’t necessarily the most common garden pests and diseases to be found in UK gardens.

The box caterpillar is the #1 most common pest the RHS received calls about

PESTS

Box tree caterpillar
Vine weevil
Slugs/snails
Fuchsia gall mite
Alder leaf beetle
Woolly aphid
Rosy apple aphid
Viburnum beetle
Glasshouse red spider mite
Plum leaf-curling aphid.

So the box tree caterpillar “wins” the top spot yet again, that is three years in a row! Not a great accolade to have Mr Caterpillar! Box tree caterpillars feed within webbing and can completely defoliate box plants. It is a relatively new insect to Britain.

Honey fungus has the unenviable accolade of being the #1 disease the RHS received calls about

DISEASES

Honey fungus
Phytophthora root rot
Box blight
Pear rust
Brown rot of fruit
Leaf spot and canker of Prunus
Apple and pear scab
Rose black spot
= Blossom wilt of fruit trees
= Powdery mildew of Prunus.

Honey fungus is the common name given to Armillaria mellea a fungus that attacks and kills the roots of many woody and perennial plants.

If you have a particular pest or disease in your garden please get in touch with us for specialist advice. We try wherever we can to use an organic approach to eradicating garden pests and diseases.

Vialii