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Azalea DamageHave you noticed that your azaleas are looking a bit the worse for wear at the moment? If they have mottled grey/bronze leaves with sticky blobs of excrement on the leaf undersides, they've probably been damaged by either Azalea...

Beating WeedsDon was faced with a gardener's worst nightmare: a backyard completely overgrown with weeds. This thick jungle of nasties included lantana (Lantana camara), wandering jew (Tradescantia albiflora), morning glory (Ipomoea indica) and privet (Ligustrum...

Bindii Small ferny bright green growths in your lawn in winter are the beginnings of the nasty prickles that will bother you in summer as they indicate bindii. The colder months are the time to...

Borers in WattleScientists are not sure how they do it, but insects like borers can single out a tree which is stressed and therefore weak, and attack that tree, leaving other healthy individuals around it alone. This is all part...

Camellia Leaf ProblemsDon looked at a camellia that appeared to have quite a few leaf problems. Rounded sections from some leaves were completely missing; some leaves had yellow blotches, while others were covered in dry, silvery brown patches. However,...

The lily caterpillar seems to have increased in numbers and horticultural importance along with the increased popularity of mass-planted crinum or spider lilies (Crinum pedunculatum) and clivias (Clivia miniata). Don looked at a mass planting...

Lumpy growths on young leaf stems, leaf mid-ribs and fruit stalks of citrus trees are caused by a pest called the citrus gall wasp (Bruchophagus fellis). All citrus trees are attacked, but grapefruit and rough lemons are...

Citrus LeafminerDistorted growth on citrus trees is often caused by Citrus leafminer (Phyllocnistis citrella). The adults are tiny, night-flying moths with wingspans of only about 5mm. The females lay their eggs on new young growth in the warmer months of...

Citrus Problems In the past few weeks Burke's Backyard has received letters concerning strangely shaped citrus. Two problems occur on citrus that will produce weird looking fruit but are not major...

Cotton Thistle With their architectural shapes and feathery flower heads, thistles are easily recognisable to gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Although native to Europe, Mediterranean and Western Asia, they have found a niche in some gardens...