Quick QUESTIONS
What is the 7.5cm-high bright yellow fungi sprouting in one of my plant pots?
Hattie Deakin, by Facebook You have found a species of toadstool called the plant pot dapperling. I think it’s one of the most beautiful of all fungi. It’s harmless and is a tropical species that is found from time to time in greenhouses. Its spores must have been in the compost for a long time or perhaps arrived with another newly purchased plant.
What are the small, wasp-like hovering flies that I find in the garden?
Mr Alan Ross, by email These are harmless and have no sting. They’re called hover flies and their larvae feed on aphids. It’s a good idea to plant a few yellow flowers among your vegetables to attract hover flies to keep your pests down. Yellow is the colour that seems to appeal to them most.
What is the bee that keeps bringing pieces of rose leaf into my greenhouse?
Sarah Robertson, by email These are leaf cutter bees and they’re building a nest. They aren’t serious pests and there is nothing you can or should do to discourage them. Other species sometimes attack different plants but the rose leaf cutter is the most common and is responsible for the missing small, semi-circular bits that you often see on rose leaves in the garden.
When do you advise clipping a holly hedge?
Ruth Woulffe, by email Ideally in early June, provided there are no birds nesting, and again in early October. If you want to do the job once only, then early August is probably best. The problem with holly hedges is that – provided you have a female strain – you’ll almost inevitably cut off either the berries or the flowers.