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No, we’re not talking about something that would strike fear into the hearts of Stede Bonnet and Anne Bonny, but we’re talking about that scourge of roses, black spot. The common rose disease, that causes black blotches to appear on the leaves of roses, can in fact be prevented and treated and doesn’t have to be feared.Prevention is better than cure, so we’ll start there. Planting your roses near to onions and garlic or other alliums helps because black spot is a fungal disease and alliums are antifungal. Proper basic care is another useful form of prevention, if your roses are pruned correctly and at the right times, well irrigated, and in a place where air can circulate around them, they will be less likely to develop black spot.If your roses have already developed black spot, don’t despair. Affected roses should be fine if you remove any affected stems and spray with an antifungal rose treatment. If you don’t want to use chemicals a natural cider vinegar treatment may help. Otherwise it is worth investing in a black spot resistant variety of rose.&nbsp;And most importantly, wash your hands and your equipment regularly.

Black Spot

Thinking outside the box when picking a hedge pays. Your typical box hedge can be susceptible to box caterpillar and box blight so it makes sense to look at other options when choosing what hedge you want.&nbsp;If you’re looking for something that can be clipped into neat, formal shapes outside of the taxus, buxus, and laurel trinity, pittosporum, holly, and yew are good choices. Though it is wise to be careful with yew, it is generally resistant to most pests, but it is toxic and can cause harm to young children. Low growing hebes can also create an attractive hedge that can thrive with little meddling required.If bright, beautiful hedges are more to your taste than our more formal friends, hedges made of lilacs, and hydrangeas will bring joy and elegance to your garden. Lavender too, made into a low growing hedge will bring the serenity and scent of Sénanque to your garden and make a lovely display from late spring into early summer.If you need help with garden maintenance, pop over to our <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/garden-maintenance-services-2" href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/garden-maintenance-services-2">Garden Maintenance Services page</a>.&nbsp;

The Right Hedge

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that can prevent a mower from running sweetly. However, sweating the small stuff when it comes to mower maintenance can save you hundreds of pounds. Whether or not your mower fuel cap is screwed on properly is one of these important but small considerations to make.&nbsp;A loose fuel cap can cause air to get into your mower, and gas to escape, and when air gets in and gas escapes, your mower can run less efficiently or stall.&nbsp;<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: calc(16px * var(--body-fontSize, 1)); font-style: var(--body-fontStyle, normal); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;" data-mce-style="font-family: inherit; font-size: calc(16px * var(--body-fontSize, 1)); font-style: var(--body-fontStyle, normal); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">So before you start worrying when your mower isn’t working, check to see if your fuel cap is on tightly enough. There’s no need to run out and get a new mower. <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: calc(16px * var(--body-fontSize, 1)); font-style: var(--body-fontStyle, normal); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;" data-mce-style="font-family: inherit; font-size: calc(16px * var(--body-fontSize, 1)); font-style: var(--body-fontStyle, normal); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">And that’s today’s Gardens and Mowers Minute. Come back to our blog tomorrow to read another garden or garden machinery related post that takes a minute or less to read.

Caps On

We gave you the full five Gardens and Mowers Minutes this week. Here they all are:1. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a data-mce-href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/the-rime-of-the-ancient-gardener" href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/the-rime-of-the-ancient-gardener">The Rime of the Ancient Gardener</a>2. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a data-mce-href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/stabiliser-is-essential" href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/stabiliser-is-essential">Stabiliser is Essential</a>3. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a data-mce-href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/not-on-the-cutting-edge" href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/not-on-the-cutting-edge">Not On the Cutting Edge</a>4. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<a data-mce-href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/a-friendly-foe" href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/a-friendly-foe" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">A Friendly Foe﻿</a>5. &nbsp; &nbsp; <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/say-it-with-daffodils" href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/say-it-with-daffodils">Say It With Daffodils</a> The sweet showers of April are fast approaching, but the weather should also be warming up nicely. For your weekend task you may want to make some bird food to attract more wildlife into your garden. The RSPB have some excellent resources for making your own bird food.Next week on Thursday you can look forward to the first in what will be an ongoing series of Gardens and Mowers Minutes about groundbreaking gardeners. Have a lovely weekend.If you want to read last week's posts you can find them all <a data-mce-href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/shall-we-read-the-minutes" href="https://gardensandmowersbyclive.durablesites.com/blog/shall-we-read-the-minutes">here</a>.

This Week

In myth, daffodils can be associated with sad events. A lonely daffodil with a yellow centre, surrounded by white petals springs up in the place Narcissus, the youth besotted with his reflection dies, and Persephone picks daffodils before her unwilling descent to the underworld. In reality, daffodils are poisonous and can cause unpleasant symptoms if consumed.It is perhaps quite strange then that the daffodil has become a symbol of that celebration of maternal and filial love, Mother’s Day. The typical explanation for the connection between daffodils and Mother’s Day is that servants and apprentices customarily released from their duties on Mothering Sunday would gather flowers for their mothers on the way home. There is no way of knowing if anyone picked daffodils, but there would have been, as there still are, wild daffodils aplenty on hillsides all over the country.The longevity of the daffodil too makes it a suitable symbol. Daffodil bulbs can survive and produce flowers for years on end. What better symbol of a mother’s constancy is there than a flower that can show its beauty for many years without fail?

Say It With Daffodils

They ravage our vegetables, and feast on our flowers, it is difficult to think of slugs as friends. But, surprisingly, not all slugs are foes. Only a few varieties of slug, like the grey field slug that plagues the agriculture industry, are invasive pests.As worms do, friendly slugs break organic matter down into something that can add nutrients to your soil. One man’s slug is also another creature’s supper; some animals can use slugs as a source of food. A wildlife friendly garden can reduce the slug population and support the ecosystem.Rather than rushing for the saltshaker, copper barrier, or slug pellets that aren’t environmentally friendly try some more slug friendly methods of repelling them. Rosemary and sage, coffee grounds, and damp cardboard repel slugs. You can even lure them into a specific spot in your garden with some scraps of leafy veg or tasty fruit bound for the compost heap, then pick them up and move them on from where they’ve congregated. That’s all for now. Hopefully we’ve left you with a more positive view of slugs.

Gardens and Mowers by Clive

The Gardens and Mowers Minute

Black Spot

The Right Hedge

Caps On

This Week

Say It With Daffodils

A Friendly Foe