In the Kitchen Garden:

1. Hoe regularly to keep down weeds.
2. Lift onions and shallots as they become ready.
3. Continue to thin vegetables sown earlier.
4. Give plants that need a boost a dose of a quick-acting fertilizer.
5. Sow cabbages for spring use.
6. Pinch out the growing tips of runner beans when they reach the top of their support.
7. Pay regular attention to outdoor tomatoes.
8. Continue to harvest herbs regularly.
9. Summer prune cordon and espalier apples if you have not already done so and if shoots are mature enough.
10. Tidy up summer-flowering strawberries. Cut off old leaves and unwanted runners, remove straw, and control weeds.
11. Protect fruit against birds if they are troublesome. A fruit cage is ideal.

The Flower Garden:

1. Dead-head plants in borders and containers regularly.
2. Feed plants in containers to keep the blooms coming.
3. Hoe beds and borders regularly to keep down weeds.
4. Take semi-ripe cuttings.
5. Clip beech, holly, hornbeam and yew hedges, and most evergreen hedges, if you have not already done so.
6. Plant spring-flowering bulbs.
7. Take fuchsia and pelargonium cuttings.
8. Sow hardy annuals to overwinter.
9. Plant lilies.
10. Clear summer bedding and prepare for spring bedding plants.
11. Continue to watch for pests and diseases on roses and other vulnerable plants.
12. Disbud dahlias and chrysanthemums as necessary.
13. Lift and store dahlias after the first frost.
14. Lift and store gladioli and other tender bulbs, corms and tubers.
15. Take in tender aquatic plants from the pond if frost is threatened.

The Greenhouse and Conservatory:

1. Bring in house and greenhouse plants that have been standing outdoors for the summer.
2. Sow spring-flowering plants such as cyclamen, schizanthus and exacum.
3. Clean off summer shading washes.
4. Repot cacti if they need it.
5. Check that greenhouse heaters are in good working order. Arrange to have them serviced, if necessary.
6. Pot up and pot on seedling pot-plants as it becomes necessary.
7. Plant hyacinth for early flowering under glass.

The popularity of crotons in both indoor and outdoor plantings is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Native to tropical areas of Malaysia and southern Asia, these easy- growing plants have bright-colored foliage, often with many colors in one leaf. The uniqueness of these plants is their colorful glossy foliage in varying shapes and sizes.

Crotons are a small shrub which can reach a height of 2-6 feet. Some crotons can even be used as hedges or specimen plants. They also grow well in containers. The 6"-12" leaves are leathery and start out green, gradually changing color as the plant matures. They come in many shapes and a rainbow of colors including reds, pinks, yellows, rust, orange and even some purples, to name just a few.

Crotons are grown primarily for their brightly colored foliage. For this reason they need a fairly high amount of light to maintain their vibrant colors. Crotons prefer high humidity, full sun and moist, humus-rich but well-drained soil with a generous supply of organic material; we recommend Kellogg Amend.

Crotons only require a moderate amount of watering on a regular basis. Keep them moist but not excessively wet. To maintain good growth, feed crotons regularly throughout the year with a water-soluble fertilizer, such as Miracle-Gro. We stock a great selection of crotons just waiting to find a place in your home or garden. Stop by today to see what all the fuss is about!

The citrus leaf miner is a new insect pest that has started showing up in Southern California. The larvae are laid by tiny, minute, silvery white moths that tunnel within the leaves, leaving snaking trails of dead tissue behind. Other symptoms of infestation include curling of leaves and, in severe cases, even succulent young branches of green shoots may be attacked.

Although leaf miners don't usually demolish an entire plant, they can cause quite a bit of unsightly damage. This makes it important to start controlling this pest at the first signs of attack and following up with repeat applications to break the life cycle of this insect pest.

Citrus leaf miners tunnel between the upper and lower surfaces of leaves to lay eggs. The clear waxy trail they leave behind is unmistakable--and permanent. Once they eat a path between leaf surfaces, they drop off the leaf to pupate in the soil beneath. Then the whole process starts over again, yielding several generations of leaf miners over the course of a summer.

Controlling leaf miners is difficult, even with chemicals, because they are protected by the upper and lower leaf surfaces. We recommend treating your infected plants with an insecticide containing Spinosad, such as Green Light Spinosad. Another effective control is to remove (and destroy) affected leaves. You can also treat the leaf surface with a citrus oil-based pesticide, such as Jungle Rain Leaf Clean, which can help to prevent tunneling by future generations.