"Spider" wrote in message
...

David wrote in message
...
Hi David,

Just looked at your pictures. As the others say, I don't think you need
to
worry about pruning unless, as advised, you want to remove the berries.
Personally, I have always found that the birds take them. Also note that
small birds sometimes take nectar from the flowers. It's not a problem -
just enjoy watching them. Your plant is still very young, and will branch
out as it grows.
As to the 'rust' problem, I'm not even sure it is rust. I peered as
closely
as I could at those markings and they seem sunken. Most rusts present as
raised spots. Have another look at the affected leaves. It may just be
that they've been grazed by some bug or other, and in all probability the
bug responsible is long gone. Don't be in too much of a hurry to spray;
small infestations of either rust or bugs can be simply dealt with by
removing the damaged leaves - both from the plant and from the ground. If
you're convinced it's rust, after cleaning up, mulch the ground under the
plant to prevent spores reinfecting. Since the weather's been dry, water
the plant well before applying the mulch.

Spider

Hi, Spider. Thankyou for your advice. Yes the markings are sunken rather
than raised, on some leaves they are just a few brown marks, on others
almost half the leaf is affected. I have had another close look at almost
all the leaves and I can't see any visible bugs. On a few healthy leaves on
lower branches there are white markings, rather like the salt residue you
get on concrete. The markings don't come off easily unless I wet my finger.
This may have nothing to do with the problem, of course!
Apart from that the plant is reasonably healthy,

regards,

David