FUCHSIAS are the latest plants to come under the cosh from a foreign invader.

The fuchsia gall mite, branded by a leading entomologist as a devastating microscopic pest, is currently immune to household sprays.

The mite, first spotted in the UK in 2007, has spread along the south coast and is now heading north, having been discovered in France and the Channel Isles. It resembles tiny worms just half a millimetre long, so this puts the fuchsia future under even greater peril.

The British Fuchsia Society is not too upbeat and says on its website: "Unfortunately Fuchsia Gall Mite is here to stay and, as fuchsia growers, we must learn to live with it and manage the problem as best as we can, but most importantly we must not panic."

Report any cases of plant deaths to the society on 01386 45158 or online at thebfs.org.uk

Britain's biggest garden retailer B&Q is to halt the sale of busy lizzies this year following the down mildew attack in 2011. The store's 357 outlets normally sell 20 million plants each year. And seed and young plant giant Thompson & Morgan has also withdrawn impatiens despite selling more than nine million lizzies last season – their top-sellling product. New Guinea impatiens have so far resisted the blight.