Problem Solver
Something wrong with your plants? Our problem-solver guides help you identify and treat the most common UK garden pests, diseases and disorders — naturally wherever possible.
🔍Not sure what's wrong? Search our symptom database — filter pests, diseases and disorders by plant, type or season.Search by symptom →Apple Scab: How to Identify and Treat It
22 July 2026Apple trees in your garden can be a source of joy, but apple scab can turn your harvest into a disappointing mess of distorted, blackened fruit. This common fungal disease, caused by Venturia…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Burdock
21 June 2026Lesser burdock (Arctium minus) is a large biennial weed of UK hedgerows, waste ground and the neglected corners of gardens. In its first year it builds a broad rosette and a deep taproot; in its…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of White Bryony
21 June 2026White bryony (Bryonia dioica) is a fast-growing perennial climber found scrambling through UK hedges, fences and shrubs, mainly in England. It is Britain's only native member of the cucumber family,…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Broadleaf Dock
21 June 2026Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) is one of the most common perennial weeds of UK lawns, borders and allotments. It grows from a long, fleshy taproot and a single mature plant can shed many…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Red Dead-nettle
20 June 2026Red dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum) is a common annual weed of UK borders, vegetable beds and bare ground, appearing from early spring. Despite the name it does not sting — "dead-nettle" means…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Speedwell in Lawns
20 June 2026Creeping speedwells (Veronica species, including the common field and slender speedwells) are low-growing weeds that spread across UK lawns and the front of borders, forming dense mats studded with…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of White Dead-nettle
20 June 2026White dead-nettle (Lamium album) is a common perennial weed of UK hedge banks, borders and rough ground. Like its red-flowered relative it does not sting — the resemblance to a true nettle is…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Plantain in Lawns
20 June 2026Greater plantain (Plantago major) and its relative ribwort plantain are among the most familiar lawn weeds in the UK. They form flat rosettes that hug the ground, shrug off the mower, and thrive on…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Stinging Nettles
20 June 2026Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of the most persistent perennial weeds in UK gardens. It spreads both by seed and by a dense mat of creeping yellow rhizomes, and it thrives wherever the soil…
Problem SolverCabbage White Caterpillars: Protecting Your Brassicas
18 June 2026Cabbage white caterpillars are a persistent nuisance for UK gardeners, chewing through brassicas like cabbage, broccoli, and kale with alarming speed. Left unchecked, they can decimate your crop in…
Problem SolverPeach Leaf Curl: How to Treat and Prevent It
18 June 2026Peach leaf curl is a frustrating but manageable issue for UK gardeners growing peaches, nectarines, or almonds. That tell-tale curling, puckering, and purple-tinged foliage in early spring isn’t just…
Problem SolverCodling Moth: How to Protect Apples and Pears
18 June 2026Protecting your apple and pear harvest from codling moth is a common UK gardening challenge, especially in warmer regions like the South and South West. This pest can ruin fruit within days of…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Fungus Gnats on Houseplants and in the Garden
18 June 2026Fungus gnats are that tiny, annoying swarm that seems to materialise out of nowhere around your houseplants or in your seed trays, especially after a damp spell. Don’t panic – they’re rarely harmful…
Problem SolverWhitefly: How to Control This Greenhouse and Garden Pest
18 June 2026Whiteflies can turn your garden into a sticky, sooty mess overnight, especially when they target tender plants like tomatoes or courgettes. As a UK gardener, you’ll spot them most from April through…
Problem SolverScale Insects: How to Spot and Control Them
18 June 2026Spotting and tackling scale insects on your UK garden plants doesn’t need to be a nightmare. These tiny, waxy pests cling to leaves and stems, draining sap and leaving a sticky mess that invites…
Problem SolverCarrot Fly: How to Protect Your Carrot Crop
18 June 2026Carrot fly can turn your summer harvest into a disappointing mess, with roots riddled with tunnels and leaves wilting. But don’t despair – with the right UK-specific timing and tactics, you can…
Problem SolverClubroot: Managing This Brassica Disease in UK Gardens
18 June 2026Clubroot strikes fear into every brassica grower's heart, turning once-vibrant cabbages into stunted, wilting ghosts in your plot. It’s not just a nuisance—it’s a persistent soil-borne villain that…
Problem SolverBox Blight: Protecting Box Hedging and Topiary
18 June 2026Box blight is the silent thief of many UK gardens, turning once-pristine box hedges into bare, brown skeletons overnight. It’s a fungal disease that’s been a persistent problem since the mid-90s,…
Problem SolverHoney Fungus: The UK's Most Destructive Garden Disease
18 June 2026You’ve spotted dieback in your favourite shrub, or those unsettling clusters of honey-coloured mushrooms at the base of your oak tree. Don’t panic—honey fungus (Armillaria mellea) is a common but…
Problem SolverRust on Plants: How to Identify and Treat Garden Rust
18 June 2026Rust on your plants isn’t just unsightly – it’s a fungal thief stealing your garden’s vitality, weakening plants and reducing blooms or harvests. The good news? With UK-specific timing and practical…
Problem SolverVine Weevil: How to Spot and Control This Garden Pest
18 June 2026Spotting and tackling vine weevil damage can feel like a gardening mystery, but it’s a very real and common problem across UK gardens, especially affecting beloved evergreens and container plants.…
Problem SolverRoot Rot: Why Plants Wilt and How to Save Them
18 June 2026Root rot strikes fear into every gardener’s heart, turning vibrant plants into limp, yellowing casualties overnight. In the UK’s damp climate, it’s a common culprit behind wilting bedding plants or…
Problem SolverTomato and Potato Blight: How to Spot, Stop and Prevent It
18 June 2026Late blight strikes fear into UK gardeners' hearts, turning lush tomato and potato crops into slimy ruin within days. This relentless pathogen, Phytophthora infestans, thrives in our damp, cool…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Chickweed
18 June 2026Common chickweed (Stellaria media) is one of the fastest-spreading annual weeds in UK gardens. It germinates almost year-round, forms a low spreading mat over bare soil in weeks, and races through…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Thistles
18 June 2026Thistles are among the most troublesome weeds of UK gardens, lawns and paddocks. The two you are most likely to meet are spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare), a biennial that grows a vicious rosette in…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Bracken
15 June 2026Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) is a large, vigorous fern and one of the most difficult weeds to control on the larger UK garden, paddock or hillside plot. It spreads by a deep, far-reaching…
Problem SolverHow to Get Rid of Brambles
15 June 2026Bramble (Rubus ulmifolius and related species) is the wild blackberry, and one of the toughest weeds to clear from a UK garden. It grows from a deep, woody root crown, throws out long arching canes…
Problem SolverImproving Heavy Clay Soil
11 June 2026Heavy clay soil frustrates most UK gardeners at some point. It drains slowly, bakes hard in summer, turns to a sticky mess in winter, and resists digging when you most need to. Left alone, it caps…
Problem SolverTreating Powdery Mildew
11 June 2026Powdery mildew is the most common fungal disease UK gardeners will meet. It shows up as a white, dusty coating on the leaves of roses, cucumbers, courgettes, squashes, grapes, honeysuckle, asters,…
Problem SolverDealing with Slugs and Snails
11 June 2026Slugs and snails are the single biggest reason UK vegetable and flower beds underperform between May and October. A single grey field slug can hollow out a row of dwarf French bean seedlings in one…
Problem SolverReviving a Patchy Lawn
11 June 2026A thin, patchy lawn is one of the most common problems in British gardens, and most cases are fixable without ripping it up and re-turfing. The trick is to work out why the lawn went patchy in the…
Problem SolverTackling Black Spot on Roses
11 June 2026Black spot (Diplocarpon rosae) is the most common fungal disease of outdoor roses in Britain. Left unchecked, it yellows the leaves, defoliates the plant by August, and weakens it going into winter —…
Problem SolverControlling Aphids Naturally
11 June 2026Aphids are the single most common sap-sucking pest in British gardens. Greenfly, blackfly, and the pale peach-potato aphid colonise roses, broad beans, lupins, apple trees, and greenhouse tomatoes…