Can anyone tell me how to rid my young potted orange tree of these pests. It's started to appear on my new leaves. U.S. It ok just to take no action?

While white fencing isn't for me in a back garden, I have seen loads of pics here on Houzz with white fences and, although they mostly seem to be over in the USA (let's face it - they tend to have better daylight in parts of North America than we do in the UK) I do like the look of it, though. I especially like the whitewash appearance if you're going for a Cottage Garden as it adds a weathered appeal. I went for black in my garden which looks pretty stylish, especially with the greens and whites in front of it. I used to live in a house with a roof terrace and we were advised at the time to not use white on the inside of the parapet walls as it would glare too much. The chosen option for the wall was pale grey (before it was fashionable) and it worked really well. For this reason, I wouldn't have gone for white fence or white furniture.

Hi I love my indoor plants too and understand your frustration in finding you have a poorly plant. My first thought might be over watering but I had a quick look up and it appears there could be two options; Needy Roots Bottom leaves that turn yellow and fall off may be a sign of cramped roots or shortage of nutrients. Rubber trees must be repotted periodically into the next size pot or their roots will begin to grow around and around the root ball and out the drainage holes, eventually strangling the plant’s roots, blocking its ability to absorb nutrients. Plants need slow-release or half-strength liquid houseplant fertilizer monthly while they are actively growing. Rubber plants seldom bloom indoors, so nitrogen, which provides food for foliage growth, is the probable need; shortages of potash lead to necrotic leaf edges and leaf drop at the bottom of the plant. Operator Error Both overwatering and underwatering might cause lower leaves to drop. Rubber tree fleshy leaves are akin to succulents that store water in their leaves, so too much water will cause leaves to become spongy and fall off. Continual overwatering can lead to edema and death; underwatering dehydrates the tropical plant. Rubber plants can be allowed to dry a bit before water is added to encourage use of reserves. Another common mistake involves placement of plants near floor vents that create a draft of hot air in winter or cold air in summer. Rubber plants do best in warm temperatures -- 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 60 to 65 degrees at night -- without drafts.

Hello, new is always bright and, sometimes, not great but after a few weeks of rain it should dull down the brightness. I have a question - the deck looks very narrow - only seating width 2 persons? Why didn't they take it out to the edge of the dark green mound picture 3? Picture 2 - I would suggest getting some pretty aggregate and making a pathway between the fence and the deck BUT I would seal up the sides of the decking and even concrete the ground under it (or at least put something over the bare earth) to use as storage area (presumably this hasn't been done). I'm going to probably make people comment on this but with a garden like yours I would have taken it down in levels/ terraces (removing the soil for possible use later) and built retaining walls and steps and having a semi-circular stone terrace at the house end if possible (round end facing away from the house) and another at the bottom end (round end facing the house). However, you have what you have so.... you can paint the wood and why not put a board at the road (?) side of the decking (Pic. 3-4) so people cannot see you eating/drinking/sleeping :-) if this is'nt possible then add a curtain of some sort around the whole area so you cannot be seen by neighbours. If the width of the decking is wide enough, and I'm not sure it is looking at the layout, then suggest planting small conifers in pots (or troughs) around the edges of the decking and once these are established and grown to approximately the height of the pergola roof the trail lights through them and around the frame work For a quick and immediate "FIX" get some trellis with artificial ivy, or similar, and attach it to the pergola on the street side - lots of companies offer Artificial Extendable Trellis Hedge Screening - check out the internet or your local garden centre. It will look very pretty, very quickly once the newness has worn off and, almost certainly by summer depending on the weather. Another quick question - did the builders seal the wood? Thompson Morgan