Weed are pretty much impossible to get rid of once they start growing so it’s important you take action to tackle them early on. Here are a few steps you can take to stop weeds growing in your garden:

1. Try to eradicate any perennial weeds before you plant anything else – roots and all.

2. Next carefully remove annual weds throughout the growing season.

3. Spread a layer of 3 to 5 cm of organic mulch on the soil between the plants to prevent weed seeds from germinating.

4. Some weeds, like horsetail and bindweed, can be extremely stubborn because each piece of their roots can re-grow into a separate plant. You need to be consistent with your weeding and continually hoe anything that dares poke its head above the soil.

5.Regularly rake through any gravel or chippings too to disrupt weed growth.

Moss

Moss in your lawn can be caused by shade, damp or too little air in the soil and grass being cut too short.

Grass can struggle to grow and often takes a long time to recover. A good way to combat moss is to generously feed your lawn. Grass that grows quickly will suppress any moss because it can’t compete.

Diseases

The best course of action to fight diseases in your garden is to take measures to prevent them in the first place.

Ensure good growing conditions for your plants as happy plants are less likely to become diseased. Invest in choosing plants which match the conditions in your garden at any given time.

Inevitably some plants may still show signs of disease despite your best efforts. In this case it is best to seek advice for diseased plants straight away. You can find advice at your local garden centre, in garden magazines, garden supplements or on the internet.

Here are a few tips to combat diseases:  

1. Roses:  Look out for black spots and mildew in particular on roses and combat any signs of these fungi as soon as you can. 

2. Clematis: Large flowers are prone to wilting which can cause shoots to die. Fortunately it’s only above ground that this happens so anything below the soil remains healthy. If wilting strikes, it can re-grow healthily. Your main concern here is to make sure the diseased shoots are cut back to ground level.  

3. Fruits: One of the most destructive diseases for fruit that you need to watch out for is fire blight. You can spot this disease by signs of wilting, blackening twig ends and dark coloured and slightly sunken patches on the trunk. Slime may also ooze from the stems of wilted flowers and leaves.