Question

[johnd83]

On one of my plants. Tom Thumb Innoticed it was looking like it was on its last legs. I saw little black bugs on the stem. What would these be?

[nuthatch]

On a Tom Thumb nasturtium?

They could be black aphids - you could try spraying them with diluted washing-up liquid.

[Placido]

Nasturtiums are notorious for contracting blackfly - almost guaranteed. Ditto broad beans.
Problem is if they really get a hold they will happily spread - and spread - and .......

I go with Nuthatch - strong jet of water. Fiddly job because you have to turn up the leaf to make certain that you've cleaned all the flies off. Strange thing is, if you do manage to clean the plants then the flies don't come back, which is a great consolation

[greenfinch]

My cherry is covered with black fly? I think the leaves are curled up tightly been spraying with water for a few days.

[Placido]

It's a fungus, Greenfinch - curly leaf fungus. Some fruit trees are prone to it, notably peach and cherry.
There is a spray cure but, hang on a minute, if you leave it alone this year there is every probability that it won't be there next year. It's a sort of hit and miss fungus - some years your tree will get it and the next year it won't.
If you do decide to spray, the leaves which have already curled won't be saved, they've had it now I'm afraid.
The good news is that curl or no curl doesn't make a jot of difference to the fruit yield.
I used to spray when my cherry caught it but now I can't be bothered 'cos it makes no diffy to the tree itself .

[greenfinch]

Thanx Placido interesting .I now think my little Pear tree has it this is the first I have seen it on the cherry .

[Jacksparrow]

My Victoria Plum gets it most years. Some years I have pulled the leaves off as soon as I saw the curl starting but it has made little or no difference to the next year.

[Placido]

Has anyone ever grown an Escallonia ??
I'm thinking about getting one as a specimen shrub 'cos I like them and they're good for flying thingies. Google says they're 'easy' but I've been had like that before .......
Thanks

[JooMoo]

I'm sure that was the big shrub that my birds liked to hang out in. I chopped it down a few years back. It certainly liked to grow

[Placido]

Yes, I read that some of them are what the horticulturalists like to call "vigorous" !!
I haven't actually chosen a variety yet (it's a b-i-g family) so I'll bear that in mind, JooMoo, and try to narrow in on one not so full of joie de vivre - if there are any.
Tks for that