This week’s jobs around the garden

Rusts are fungal infections which attack a wide range of plants and not just roses. 

Many fruit trees and herbaceous perennials are infected now.

The infected leaves have spots and have pustules on the undersides. The spots are often rust coloured, which gives the common name ‘rust’ but often they can be darker and even black.

The leaves turn yellow and fall off. The best control is to remove infected leaves and stop them from falling onto the soil where the fungus will only spread.

Spraying now with a copper-based fungicide may have a beneficial effect but better to use this fungicide in spring when growth is starting again.