Questions for April 2008

Question

I am not sure if you can help but I am looking to buy some coprosma evening glow or/and coprosma fire burst so far I have had little luck I have tried googling it but very poor results none of my local garden centres stock it I bought some last year from a local market and would like to get more I really want a fairly well established rather than a small gutting that needs to be grown on do you know of any online nurseries that would sell this also regards dogwood I really like the look of this but again not been able to find it in my garden centres does this come in the form of a shrub or bush has its something I am not familiar with thanks for any help you can provide

Answer

I have to admit to not knowing about Coprosma but I have managed to find a company who sell a few varieties. Click on this link:  http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pn_id=176. There are several types of Dogwood (Cornus) so I have added a link to a few at Crocus for you to look at.

Question

We have a well established pear tree in our garden. The problem is that is has grown lopsided / horizontally right across the garden, so much so that it is obstructing the garden path. I would like to keep the tree but would like some advice on how to prune it to encourage it to grow upwards rather than outwards.

Answer

It is possible to do what you are asking but it will need to be done in stages as to reduce the stress to the tree. I think the best thing for you to do is to follow RHS advice on this matter so I have included a link below on Apple and pear tree renovation: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/fruit_tree.asp

Question

I have what seems to be three different type of spotted laurels one is dark green in colour the other light green with what seems like the beginning of possibly some flowers the other is the same colour light green the first two were planted around a month ago and around 2 3 ft the last one was planted last summer and has hardly grown at all I did read for these to produce flowers you need a male and female like a holly and I thought they were very quick growers I have seen some has high has well over 20foot round where I live they seem to get bigger every year mine are planted in full sun in a good quality compost any information on this plant would be welcomed thank you. I bought a shrub called a beauty berry in October last year it had a abundance of purple berries which have gradually dropped of I believe it is suppose to have pink flowers in summer but at moment I have just a bare shrub is this normal

Answer

Regarding your laurels; do you know which variety you have? I have detailed three of the more common ones below and as you can see their sizes and flowering requirements do vary. If you can find the actual varieties I can do more research for you.

• Aucuba Japonica Crotonifolia. Evergreen, bushy, dense shrub with stout, green shoots. Large glossy, dark green leaves are heavily mottled yellow. Grows in sun or shade and well drained soil. Height 1.7m Spread 1.7m. Male.
• Aucuba Japonica Rozannie. Very handsome shrub which has large, toothed and leathery green leaves. This all green form is self pollinating and produces large red fruits in winter. Grows in any situation and any soil to about 1m. Male.
• Aucuba Japonica Variegata. Evergreen, bushy, dense shrub grown for its yellow spotted leathery leaves. Height 7 ft. Spread 7 ft. requires any reasonable soil. Will thrive in sun or shade. Plant with crotonifolia for berries. Can be kept as a colourful hedge or as a specimen plant. Female. As regards your Beauty Berry (Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii Profusion). The lovely purple berries will gradually drop off, or get eaten by the birds, before the end of the winter which is normal. It will remain bare until it begins to produce its leaves then small pink flowers around July.

Question

I have got some branches on our pear tree where the buds are not opening – should I cut them back or just leave it?

Answer

If the tree is the right size and shape for you then I’d leave it. However, you may want to read the RHS article below for information on how to prune your tree should you wish. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/fruit_tree.asp

Question

Now that the buds are out on the roses does this mean that I can cut them with an outward facing slope away from a bud at a height of 6 inches from the base now? Can I cut the honeysuckle back to 6 inches as well now?

Answer

I would wait until all risk of frost has passed because if you get a hard frost it can cause the tips of shrubs to die back. This die-back can be trimmed off but if the shrub is at its lowest height you will have nothing left to trim away. You should be OK to do it at the middle of April. You will still get a good display so don’t worry, you’ll be surprised how quickly they will grow from May onwards. You method sounds good but don’t forget to give them a little feed of fertilizer. You can buy one specifically for roses or you can use blood, fish and bone meal which can be used on all your plants. A mulch of well rotted manure around the base will also be good to keep down weeds and help improve the structure of the soil.

Question

Leaves on the hyacinth are going yellow. Can I cut them to the base; remove bulbs from the indoor pot and plant in the garden now? Any thoughts as to where best and how i.e. depth etc to plant them?

Answer

Yes you can cut them back and plant them out in the garden. Here’s a link to my Bulbs page which should help you when planting but the general rule is three times its own depth in a sunny position. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/bulbs.htm

Question

I have recently bought some of the pretty flowering heathers you see at this time of year but know little about them I did hear that they need to be planted I the special compost you use for azaleas and rhododendrons also how long do they flower for I am told the ones you see in the garden centres are all forced has I believe they do not flower until early summer do I prune them when they finish flowering and when should I feed them thank you for any advice you can provide

Answer

There are two types of heather so I’ll give you the details for both. The first type is the “Erica” variety. These heathers do prefer acid soil but they will tolerate slightly alkaline soil, either way it needs to be well-drained and placed in a sunny spot. If you don’t know how acidic your soil is then it would be best to plant into pots using Ericaceous compost although it’s not essential. This type of heather flowers January to March and should be trimmed after flowering with shears or secateurs to remove the dead flowers and encourage bushy growth. The second type is “Calluna”. They like full sun and well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil or ericaceous compost. They flower July to November. In March or April cut back the flowered shoots to within 2.5cm (1in) of the old growth.

Question

My husband would like to know are than any certain types of methods used to make top soil more firm? He’s clearing out some land and the soil is too soft to hold weight.

Answer

I’m not entirely certain I understand exactly what the problem is but I think it is one of the following. The top soil may be too “soft” meaning it is not compacted enough. If this is the case then you should be able to carefully tread down the surface by slowly walking around until it is firm. However, the problem may be that the soil is too sandy, meaning that it has no substance and keeps falling apart. The added problem here is that it will also be very poor making it difficult to grow anything. If this is the case then you need to improve the structure by adding lots and lots of well rotted organic matter such as horse or cow manure. This can be bought in bulk or, if you live near a farm or stables, you may get it for free if you agree to collect it. If you have to go this route then it will take some time for the soil to change and become more substantial, perhaps as long as a year. To avoid weeds taking hold while you’re waiting you could grow some green manure which will subsequently be incorporated into the soil, again adding goodness. Here is an article which might help. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/soil.htm#Green_manures0

Related Articles

Question:My husband would like to know are than any certain types of methods used to make top soil more firm? He’s clearing out some land and the soil is too soft to hold weight.Answer:I’m not entirely certain I understand exactly what the problem is but I think it is one of the following. The top [...]

Question:I have recently bought some of the pretty flowering heathers you see at this time of year but know little about them I did hear that they need to be planted I the special compost you use for azaleas and rhododendrons also how long do they flower for I am told the ones you see [...]

Question:Leaves on the hyacinth are going yellow. Can I cut them to the base; remove bulbs from the indoor pot and plant in the garden now? Any thoughts as to where best and how i.e. depth etc to plant them?Answer:Yes you can cut them back and plant them out in the garden. Here’s a link [...]

Question:Now that the buds are out on the roses does this mean that I can cut them with an outward facing slope away from a bud at a height of 6 inches from the base now? Can I cut the honeysuckle back to 6 inches as well now?Answer:I would wait until all risk of frost [...]

Question:I have got some branches on our pear tree where the buds are not opening – should I cut them back or just leave it?Answer:If the tree is the right size and shape for you then I’d leave it. However, you may want to read the RHS article below for information on how to prune [...]

Question:I have what seems to be three different type of spotted laurels one is dark green in colour the other light green with what seems like the beginning of possibly some flowers the other is the same colour light green the first two were planted around a month ago and around 2 3 ft the [...]

Question:We have a well established pear tree in our garden. The problem is that is has grown lopsided / horizontally right across the garden, so much so that it is obstructing the garden path. I would like to keep the tree but would like some advice on how to prune it to encourage it to [...]

Question:I am not sure if you can help but I am looking to buy some coprosma evening glow or/and coprosma fire burst so far I have had little luck I have tried googling it but very poor results none of my local garden centres stock it I bought some last year from a local market [...]