Plant Health & Disease Diagnosis
Biosecurity & Diagnostics
Trees dying back, leaves blackening, a hedge failing in patches, plants struggling for no obvious reason? Before you spend money on replacements, treatments or testing, understanding the likely cause is the best place to start.
I’m a former DEFRA Plant Health and Seeds Inspector with nearly twenty years’ experience in professional horticulture. Plant problems can have several contributing causes. Soil conditions, drainage, how well plants have established, pests and disease often interact, so I look at the plant, its roots, the soil and the wider site together before drawing conclusions.
What I can help with
Trees, shrubs, hedges or plants declining without an obvious cause
Suspected pests or diseases
Unexplained damage, including whether chemical damage is likely
Repeated failure of new planting
Biosecurity advice on bringing in plants and reducing the risk of spreading pests and diseases
Whether laboratory testing is worthwhile, and what should be tested
Garden Advice & Inspection Visit: from £130
Up to one hour on site looking at your concerns, with practical verbal advice, photographs where relevant, and a clear view on whether anything further is needed. Written reports, testing and additional work are quoted separately.
Plant Health Investigation & Report: from £395
For problems that need a more thorough answer, or a written record:
A detailed site assessment of the affected plants, roots, soil and surroundings
Review of the evidence after the visit
A written report with photographs, setting out likely causes, how confident I am in them, and recommended next steps
A follow-up call to talk through the findings
If sampling is needed, the requirements and any additional costs are agreed with you beforehand. Laboratory testing is quoted separately and agreed with you in advance.
Aerial survey
Where it helps, drone photography can show the pattern of decline across a wider site. This is quoted on request.
Estates and larger gardens
On larger sites, plant health problems often need a broader view: decline across woodland edges, shelterbelts, avenues or plant collections; recurring losses in new planting; or a biosecurity plan for bringing in plants. Drawing on my experience managing a 600-acre estate garden at Mount Stuart, I can assess problems across a whole site, set priorities and work alongside your existing team. Estate-scale work is quoted individually after an initial conversation.
Travel
Local travel is included. Any additional travel costs are agreed before booking.
Get in touch
Tell me what you’re seeing and roughly where you are.
If you have photos, email them to info@macdonaldhorticulture.co.uk and I’ll reply with the best next step.