Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

I’m proud of Jack. His gardening skills are increasing, with useful observations every day. Last week it was Passionvine hoppers, and they are indeed showing an upward trend.   The window for control ceased in Spring (spraying the tiny fluffy bums with a simple fly spray) but for now there is little you can do until March/April, when you look for the distinctive egg patterns laid on thin, woody twigs by adult female hoppers:   In Autumn cut off those dead and dying twiglets with eggs and burn them in the fireplace. Saves you from a heap of fluffybums being born next spring.  Something many gardeners don’t often see early enough is the beginning of Powdery Mildew. White powdery fungal deposits on leaves of cucumbers, pumpkin, squash, oak trees, hydrangeas, beans, grapes, apples, pears, rose – it’s on a lot of different plants.   Most gardeners find the symptoms too late. If you keep your eyes open you can find it starting right now in small patches on the leaves.   The cause: long-ter