Clippings: news for gardeners

Our roundup of the month’s latest gardening news and views

Peat-free compost sales at record levels

Gardeners are switching to peat-free compost in record numbers, with sales of brands such as Melcourt SylvaGrow at least doubling in a year to their highest-ever levels. Gardencentre chain Dobbies says its newly launched own-brand peat-free compost is now its most popular. “There is a shift in consumer awareness,” says Marcus Eyles, Dobbies Horticultural Director.

But as demand rises, peat substitutes such as bark and coir have become “almost impossible” to buy due to pandemic-related shipping problems, says Neil Bragg, Chair of the Growing Media Association, potentially limiting peat-free compost supplies.

Plants infested with box tree moth caterpillars should be treated quickly

Box pest on retreat?

The relentless spread of the box tree moth caterpillar appears to have stalled, with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) reporting that queries about the pest to its advisory service last year fell by 40 per cent compared with 2019. The non-native moth, whose voracious caterpillars can strip box hedges bare, has become widespread across the UK. “People are taking measures to deal with the problem, such as hand picking them off, or they’ve stopped growing box altogether,“says RHS Principal Entomologist Andrew Salisbury.

Report sightings of box tree moth caterpillars at: bit.ly/box-pest-spread