stouravonmagazine.co.uk
28 New Stour & Avon, May 6, 2022
Home & Garden
A truly fine month in our gardens... Your Garden in May May sees the end of cherry blossom, the wonder of apple blossom to start the month, and some of the first fruits of the year at the end of the month. It truly is a fine month in the garden. The fresh spring greens of trees as they finally spring to life and provide food for insects and baby birds in return is pretty heartwarming, and the sun has strength and promise. It also happens to be my birthday! Weed! Those weeds keep coming in earnest in the warm weather, so pull out or hoe off any weeds whilst young to prevent seedheads from forming. Check Lilies for lily Beetle and Box for box moth caterpillar Both of these pests are difficult
to control, and can cause quite serious damage to your plants if ignored. Box moth has been an increasing emerging pest in the UK over the recent years, and I had a brief battle with it at the end of last year so it has reached Dorset now. Many owners of substantial box hedging and those planning to plant have chosen to replace their box with a similar looking plant due to both the
devastating impacts of box moth and box blight on the plants. There is some hope for box moth however, as blue tits are now starting to try them out as a food source (though not sufficiently to protect bushes from significant attack). Currently there is no official UK licensed product home consumers can use for box moth caterpillar. There
has been some mention of a product called Xentari, but currently this product is not licensed and not on the UK pesticide register. Only one product, which is licensed only for professionals with a PA1/6 qualification, is available as a pesticide control for box. A product has been available in the EU for a couple of years, but has yet to pass UK regs. Other generic systemic pesticides will have some effect, but do not spray when in bud or bloom due to the threats to pollinators. If you can, pick off any caterpillars you see, and consider replanting with a different species if the problem is unmanageable. Good alternatives include Euonymus, Yew, Pittosporum and Berberis. The RHS is
We like big butts
Stewarts Christchurch Garden Centre, Lyndhurst Road, Christchurch, BH23 4SA Tel: 01425 272244
Stewarts Broomhill Garden Centre, God’s Blessing Lane, Broomhill, BH21 7DF Tel: 01202 882462 www.stewarts.co.uk
Stewarts Abbey Garden Centre, Mill Lane, Titchfield, Fareham, PO15 5RB Tel: 01329 842225
