Questions for March 2008
Question
I bought a Grevillea plant today the guy at the garden centre just said it grows to about 3 feet and flowers until June I have since found there are many types mine has pink and black flowers on pine like branches what is the general rule of where to plant type of soil etc any tips welcomed thank you
Answer
It seems to be quite tender and prefers a light, sandy soil. Plant it out in a sunny, sheltered spot and perhaps protect it when the weather is severe. You shouldn’t need to prune it unless you want to keep it to a certain size or shape, if you do wish to prune it do it once flowering has finished.
Question
I want to replace my Acer in the garden. Is it ok to plant a new one in the same place as the one I am now digging out?
Answer
As long as the Acer you are replacing is healthy then I can see no reason why planting another would cause problems. Ensure you remove all the roots of the old tree and dig a hole twice the size of the root ball of the new tree. Add lots of well rotted compost to the soil when back-filling. Water if it doesn’t rain but ensure it doesn’t get waterlogged.
Question
I have a wisteria tree which is well established (over 25 years); it is situated in my front garden and has been trained to grow over an archway and along the side of my garage. We have invested in a larger vehicle and as a result need to widen our driveway area which impinges on where the wisteria trunk is sited. As we will be digging up this area to lay a new driveway and paving area, rather than lose the wisteria, we wondered whether once the roots are exposed whether it would be possible to re-site the trunk a few metres away and re-bed in the new paving without causing damage to the tree.
Answer
I am not confident that you will be able to easily re-site your wisteria. As a rule a tree’s roots spread the same distance underground as their branches do above ground so I would doubt that you would be able to remove all the roots without damaging them and therefore risking the tree. Having said that it sounds as if you have to remove the tree anyway so it may be worth the risk. If you decide to go ahead you should dig a hole in the new location before you begin removing the tree. Make sure the hole is wide enough and deep enough to contain all the roots and add lots of well rotted compost to give it as much help as possible. You may need to detach some branches from the support wires prior to moving. Once you are ready, carefully expose as much root as you can and only cut off roots if absolutely necessary. The most important roots are the smaller fibrous roots which take up the goodness in the soil, the bigger roots are there to hold the tree in place and seek out water further below the surface. Before laying the new paving give the tree lots of water each day for as long as you can to help it establish. If it does happen to die off you could always use it as support for another climber such as a clematis or honeysuckle.
Question
I bought a Cistus snow white yesterday and planted it by the instructions on the plant card however when I looked on the Internet it says not to use organic compost not to mulch and not to feed I used multi purpose compost give it a feed with miracle grow all of which the plant card suggested will it harm it or should I dig it up.
Answer
Cistus plants are originally from the dry, rocky soils of the Mediterranean, which means that they like poor, sandy soils so do not need fertile soil or fertilisers. I must admit that when I planted my first Cistus I also used compost and feed and it did OK. You may find it possibly won’t do as well as had you planted it in poor soil but as long as you don’t add any more mulch or feed then it will be OK in future years. However, if you have only just planted it, you should be able to dig it up quite easily if you prefer to replant. If you do just dig a hole and pop it in! The good news is that this plant copes with fairly extreme droughts so does not need much watering and loves strong sunlight. Also, this is one of the few Cistus plants that respond well to occasional pruning of its stems.
Questions for August 2007
Question:
I bought a lavender tree lavandula dentata I planted about 6weeks ago it does say its hare had only the odd night of frost but don t expose to prolonged frost we have had only the odd night of frost since I bought it I have noticed today there are one or two brown spikes on it and the rest seem to be drooping I have given it a feed of miracle grow rose and shrub food I am been unduly concerned will it perk up when the weather gets warmer and is there any thing I can specifically do to help it.
Answer:
Unfortunately Lavandula dentate (French Lavender) is not hardy in the UK so should be kept indoors during the winter. You could try bringing it in now, keeping it warm for the next few weeks to see if it perks up. Don’t cut off the brown spikes just yet. If you still have some green growth by the end of April then prune it back before placing outdoors for the summer. Be careful not to prune into any old or brown woody parts of the plant as it will never re-grow from these areas.
Question:
I would like to know if I could put my magnolia in a container as I am moving house and the garden is all slabs, it is around 2 to 3 years old and around 4 foot.
Answer:
My mum has successfully grown her magnolia in a pot for years and it always looks good. I assume it is in the ground at the moment so you will have to carefully lift it ensuring you don’t damage the roots. Make sure it doesn’t dry out before placing it in as large a pot as possible. Put lots of crocks in the bottom to help drainage and add a slow release fertilizer to the soil around the plant. Each year top off the plant with new compost and / or manure to keep the soil well fed. You may find it goes into shock this year but it should be OK by next year’s flowering season. You will find that the plant won’t grow as big as it would if it was in the ground and it may not live as long either.
Question:
I currently live in West Sussex and do hope that you can give me some advice on the Meyers lemon tree that I purchased last year. You see I am new to the way of gardening here in England, as I spent most of my gardening life in the tropical area of South Africa where it never gets really cold. As I have already mentioned I purchased a lemon tree, which I put into a huge pot on my patio, but now I see that during the course of winter it has lost all its leaves and a lot of the tips of the branches have gone brown. I did not place it indoors, as I do not have the strength to be lugging it around – nor did I cover it with anything. My question is do I throw the tree away or do you think it will pick up again in spring.
Answer:
Unfortunately citrus plants will not survive outside during an English winter. However, having said that, if you have not had a hard frost and it’s in a sheltered position then you may get away with it. I wouldn’t give up on it just yet. Buy some horticultural fleece (available from garden centres or the larger DIY stores, cover it for the rest of the winter and make sure it doesn’t get too wet. If it’s survived you should see new leaves appearing when the weather warms up during April/May.
Question:
Can you please tell me any plants besides Aubrietia that you can plant in the top of a walled raised bed to hang over or to plant vertically in the wall?
Answer:
Please find below some suggestions. Most of these are alpines and do require a well drained soil. Cerastium (Snow-in-summer) – colour: white Iberis (Candytuft) – colour: white Linaria (Toadflax) – colour: various – there is an upright version of this too Saponaria (Soapwort) – colour: pink. You could also consider planting a nice coloured, small leaved ivy to trail down and plant some low growing alpines, such as Thrift to add some height. If you don’t mind a bit of work you could consider planting trailing geraniums or other colourful annuals each year.
Question:
Our neighbours have just built an extension, the side wall of which overlooks our back garden. Unfortunately, a variety of bricks have been used and they haven’t been spaced out very well with the result that the wall overlooking our back garden is unsightly and also oppressive. We would like a fast growing plant which would hide the wall. The wall goes up to 310 cm in height. Please could you advise us as to what would be the best plant to hide this wall and which would grow quickly?
Answer:
My ideal would be ivy. There are lots of different varieties giving you a wide selection of leaf sizes and colours which are evergreen. Once established it is extremely fast growing and also has the benefit of being able to climb without support and will grow in any situation. The other is the Montana range of Clematis which again is very fast growing and has the extra benefit of fragrant flowers in the spring. However you will need to erect some sort of support structure such as trellis or wires before planting. A sunny site will give the best results. Which ever plant you choose make sure you don’t plant it too close to the wall as it won’t be able to get as much water as it needs. If you go to my Plant your Garden page http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/planting.htm. You will see an advert from Crocus. If you click the Climbers box you will be able to enter some information about the location and features required and receive a number of suggestions back.
Question:
I’ve got a question about holly trees that you might be able to answer for me…! As you know – you need male and female holly for the female plant to produce berries, but do the male and female plant need to be the same variety?? I have a silver queen (male) and a golden king (female) – will I get berries from this??
Answer:
I have double checked and you only need to have one male holly, of any variety, to pollinate several female plants of any variety. Therefore the two you have will do fine; the female plant will produce the berries, not the male. If you’d like more berries you could buy another female variety.
Question:
I am the General Manager of a psychiatric unit in London. We have recently built a secure steel balcony to provide additional outdoor space to one of our first floor wards. The construction is a ‘metal cage’ with a very raw look to it and I would appreciate it if you could give me some ideas on the types of plants we would use to brighten up the area. The balcony is south facing and I would preferably like ones that are easy to manage and stay evergreen so there is colour all year round. Have you any suggestions. The main problem is that for safety reasons we can not use climbing plants as patients could use these to climb up and fall, we can not use plants that have poisonous leaves or berries as patients could eat these and we are unable to use plants that have sharp edges as patients may use these to self harm or ones that attract bees in case of allergic reaction to possible bee stings. In addition, we would require the plants to be in pots that are too heavy for a patient to lift in case they throw them. As you can see from a non-gardeners point of view I am struggling to find the appropriate plants and your assistance and advice would be very welcome.
Answer:
I’ve come up with some ideas and attach an outline of a plan which may be of interest. My first thought was to fit a bench across the left-hand 2.4m section. This could be attached to the balcony and would allow seating for a few people. I have also left room for quite a large table and six chairs. Your idea of galvanized containers screwed into the patio seems a good idea and I’ve found a couple of sites which may be able to provide them. and http://shop.theurbangarden.co.uk/product_select.asp?prtID=49&d=planters. The alternative is to have a raised bed built into the corner which is also attached to the balcony as per my plan. You could have it built as one big “box” or if you had six separate boxes they could be tiered so that the outermost ones are lower than the top ones. This would provide more interest and allow for plants to cascade the corners of each “box”. As for plants. My initial thought is to use Herbs. These are usually soft and are, of course, edible. For added interest I thought a few grasses. I have found a few examples of my thoughts on Crocus.co.uk and have attached a link to their page so you can find out a little more about them. Fennel (especially Bronze which is a lovely colour) these grow to about 1.8m but not very wide so you could fit in quite a few. They are light and move with the wind giving a feeling of movement. I find it best to snip off the flowers to avoid them going to seed and ruining the look. Also, they will die down for the winter but this also means it doesn’t take over. To compliment the colour and movement of the Fennel I thought a few soft grasses would be nice. They tend to give great autumn colour and if left over the winter they provide structure and look nice when frosted. They will have to be cut back to allow the new growth through but it’s not a hard job. Here are a couple of examples. For an evergreen look I think Rosemary would be good. They can grown quite big so may need keeping in check but they are very hardy and don’t require much maintenance. They are usually a rich dark green with lavender/blue flowers during the summer. To compliment the rosemary how about Lavender. There are lots of varieties around but you need to have a good hardy one to see you through the winters. To break-up the front of the containers/bed I suggest planting a few “lesser” periwinkles. These come in white, lilac or purple in lots of different shades. The leaf colours also differ so you could find one you like. The “greater” periwinkles have bigger flowers and grow too big and fast for containers. Just tuck them into the corners of each “box” and let them hang down. They do spread so you may need to pull them up to avoid them taking over the whole container. Finally, I thought the little space near the entrance could do with something. Mint is a great herb but extremely invasive so it is ideal in its own container. There are lots available, such as pineapple mint and apple mint so again you should find some you like. They will die down for the winter but will come back each spring. Regardless of the containers you use you will have to ensure that there is adequate drainage in the bottom. Punch some holes in the base of the containers and lift them slightly off the floor. To help the drainage and keep the weight down fill the bottom of the containers with a good layer of polystyrene which you get in packaging. Use good quality compost and add some vermiculite which will also help keep the weight down but will also aid drainage. I would also add a slow release fertilizer and some water-retaining granules. You won’t be able to use hard mulch so I would top off the planting with a good layer of well-rotted manure. This will help retain moisture, keep weeds down and add goodness to the soil. Each autumn you should add another layer.
