Gardening A-Z

White spots on your roses could be two things - insects or fungus. To test whether it is a problem with insects or fungus, try and scrape it off with your finger. If it scrapes off it's an insect. If not, it's a fungus.

Aphids leave rose leaves looking curled, distorted and yellow. To rid your plant of aphids simply hose them off with a strong stream of water and spray the plant with Neem, an organic oil sold at Awapuni Nurseries.

These are the signs of rust or powdery mildew. They love the water and as a result often occur during humid and wet weather.

Don’t let your garden suffer as the cold winter months drive you inside.

“While your roses might look like bare twig arrangements at the moment, your garden needn’t look boring. Liven up your rose garden by reshaping it with a focal point,” says Awapuni gardening guru, Tod Palenski.

Now is the perfect time to prune your roses and while they might look like bare twig arrangements when you’re finished with them, it’s a small sacrifice to make for great blooms in spring. So this month I’ll give you a guide to achieving knockout roses.