Welcome to the Garden Ninja Gardening Forum! If you have a gardening question that you can't find answers to then ask below to seek help from the Garden Ninja army! Please make your garden questions as specific and detailed as possible so the community can provide comprehensive answers in the online forum below.

Welcome to the ultimate beginner gardening and garden design forum! Where no gardening question is too silly or obvious. This online gardening forum is run by Lee Burkhill, the Garden Ninja from BBC 1's Garden Rescue and a trusted group of experienced gardeners.

Whether you are a beginner or an expert gardener, it's a safe place to ask garden-related questions for garden design or planting. If you have a problem in your garden or need help, this is the Garden Forum for you!

Garden Ninja forum ask a question

Posting Rules: This space is open for all garden-related questions. Please be polite, courteous and respectful. If you wouldn't say it to your mum's face, then don't post it here. Please don't promote, sell, link spam or advertise here. Please don't ask for 'cheeky' full Garden redesigns here. They will be deleted.

If you need a garden design service, please use this page to book a design consultation. I will block anyone who breaks these rules or is discourteous to the Garden Ninja Community.

Join the forum below with your gardening questions!

Please or Register to create posts and topics.

Photinia problem

Hi all. Can anyone tell me what is eating away at my Photinia leaves please. Is it frost damage, or is something nibbling at it and how do I prevent further damage? It is in a large pot on the pavers if my courtyard garden normally, but at the moment, it's up against the house wall for protection.

Uploaded files:
  • Screenshot_20230128-200812.png

Hi @my-tiny-garden

Good to hear from you. Photinias are usually pretty much bullet proof peat free plants

On first inspection it looks like either a caterpillar or leaf miner. However, when I look closer the brown crispy leaf makes me think it’s frost damage. Ie water has pooled frozen and then defrosted killing that part of the plant. Then with some cold wind it’s crisped up. 

If it were leaf miners or caterpillars I’d expect other leaves to suffer too. They tend to emerge en masse after being laid on the leaf the previous year. 

Cut the leaf off back to the stem. It won’t recover. Then if it is a sole leaf miner you will take them off with it!

Hope that helps

Lee

My tiny garden has reacted to this post.
My tiny garden

Thanks Lee.

On closer inspection, the rest of the leaves look to be ok, so perhaps the frost got to this one unlucky leaf! I'll take it off anyway and see how we get on as the season progresses.

Online garden design courses

Share this now!