Which hedging will be the fastest to grow in an area between two garages in a south-west facing garden? Heavy dry clay, canopy of trees, difficult neighbour!!!
Nelsa - Middlesex |
Whatever you decide to plant it would benefit from having the soil improved a little by digging in some well rotted manure or compost before planting.
As far as hedging plants are concerned the fastest would be Cu. Leylandii at about one metre growth per year, but remember that they will grow at this rate all their lives, so plenty of trimming required! The next best conifer, and in my opinion a better option, is Thuja plicata which grows at 45cm per year. Another option worth considering is laurel hedging - quick growing and robust as well as evergreen. <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have a honeysuckle plant beside my front door which fails to develop every year. It starts off looking very healthy but by summer, the leaves take on a discoloured rusty look and it only produces a few blooms and very little fragrance. Any suggestions?
John Woodham - Quedgeley |
The two main reasons for this problem are aphids sucking the sap from new shoot tips and mildew attacking the foliage.
What I would do is collect up the fallen leaves and dispose of them in the dustbin. Then in early spring feed the shrub with rose fertiliser as this contains lots of potash which will enhance flowering and improve disease resistance. As soon as the leaves return and open out fully spray them with a product like Bio Multirose or Scotts Roseclear 2 as these will control aphids and mildew without harming beneficial insects. <<Back to gardening questions index |
My wife wants a stag's horn with flowers but only the female has them. How can I tell if a tree is female if it is not in flower and if I take a cutting from a female, will it grow as a female?
Dave - Lidlington, Beds |
The plant that I know as the Stag's Horn Fern (Platycerium birficatum) is a strange looking houseplant that comes from Australia and has silvery hanging fronds which resemble the shape of a stag's horns. The plant has two types of fronds, the sterile and fertile ones, but no flowers at all. They are propagated by division of offsets and sowing the spores - a fern's version of seeds. Then I thought "Ah, maybe Dave is thinking of the Stag's Horn Sumach" (also spelt Sumac) which is a potentially large garden shrub grown for its striking fern-like foliage. The scientific name of this shrub is Rhus typhina and the foliage takes on rich autumn colour before falling as winter comes along. The stag's horn name comes from the forest of thick,tiny hairs that coat the stems, resembling stag's horns in the "velvet" stage. These shrubs do have separate male and female plants. The males have large erect clusters of green flowers, while the females have smaller ones. However, I think that you are refering to the dense conical clusters of crimson hairy fruits that form on the female plants in autumn and can persist for months. The only way to be certain of buying a female plant is to choose one with fruits present at this time of year. If you root cuttings from, or divide, a female plant the offspring will also be female. There is another type called Rhus typhina laciniata (aka R.t. Dissectum) which is lower growing, with more ornamental, deeply cut foliage and brilliant autumn colour. Another reason why you might prefer this plant is that they are all female. I hope this has answered your question.
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I have a Callistemon citrinus "splendens" (common name crimson bottlebrush). It stopped flowering as soon as we got it home, although it still grew leaves. When we brought it indoors for the winter, its leaves went brown and crispy and fell off. What should we do?
Jane Blade - Tewkesbury |
If your bottlebrush plant is of a decent size, say about 45cm (18 in) tall and growing in a pot that is 1 litre size or above it should be OK outdoors in a sheltered position. If it is a very small or very young plant then it would be better in an unheated greenhouse or in a cool but light part of the house.
The problem with it now is that it has suddenly found itself indoors in a centrally heated environment which is gradually drying out the foliage and turning it brown and crispy. Make sure that the plant is adequately watered and if it has to remain where it is stand the pot on a wide saucer filled with moist gravel. Then the warm air will come around the gravel and take moisture from there rather than sucking it out of the foliage. Really unless the plant is very young it would be better off in a sheltered place outside. <<Back to gardening questions index |
How do we keep the neighbourhood cats from using our garden like a dirtbox? We have dug out beds replaced at great expense with weedmat and river stones still they foul it.
Christina Howe - Auckland, New Zealand |
The cat problem is a bit of a menace with UK gardeners too and I find that one of the best control measures is an ultra-sonic cat scarer, one of the best brands being one called Catwatch, as it is particularly well tuned to the higher registers of sound that only cats hear and not other pet animals like dogs or rabbits.
It consists of a an electronic unit that sits in your garden sending out an invisible beam that protects 450 sq ft. As soon as anything breaks the beam the sends out a high pitched shriek that soon teaches cats to avoid the area. This one is particularly good as it is well tuned to cats hearing and it is more expensive than some other similar units - it costa about £60-oo here, but I expect you have similar things on offer in New Zealand. <<Back to gardening questions index |
| I have a garden that is thick clay. In order to benefit the soil and make it easier to work, last summer, I tipped LOADS of well rotted horse manure over it. I tried to dig it in but the ground was far too hard for me, so I left in on top (where I was planting things I put manure in the hole first). Unfortunately I now have a mega weed problem - I think every type of cereal the horse ate has passed through its system and onto my garden where conditions seem to be favourable for sprouting. This occurred within a few days/weeks of manuring, and has carried on no matter how intensively I pull them up. What do I do? There are now too many plants in to use weed killer. Please don't say start all over again! |
Sorry to hear of your weed problem but this is what can result when you apply fresh farm yard manure and the animals that provided it were eating lots of weeds.
Keeping up the hand weeding will help but if you use a weedkiller very carefully, so that none of it gets on to your plants, it would be possible to use something like Scotts Round Up or Bio Glysophate. A good way to keep the spray drift under control would be to take a plastic drink bottle and cut it off just below the "shoulder". Then place the nozzle of your sprayer through the neck of the bottle (after removing the cap) and securing ti to the sprayer with masking tape. This will ensure that the spray is directed downwards and away from your plants. There is no risk of these weedkillers contaminating the soil so if you keep the spray off your plants they will be OK. Otherwise you could try to mulch out annual weeds by putting down a 5cm (2in) deep layer of bark or a similar substance on the surface of the soil between the plants. I hope this will help you out. <<Back to gardening questions index |
What are some alternatives to using chemical pesticides and fertilizers?
Jenna - Lecanto, FL |
As far as fertrilisers go the alternative the chemical fertilisers are natural organic ones which meamns that they are created by nature. I suppose that one of the main ones are farm animal dungknown as farm yard manure. This contains all the major plant foods as well as some of the elements that plant s require in smaller amounts, known as trace elements or micro nutrients.
Creating a heap of any green garden waste and plant prunings and then leaving them to compost (or rot down) also creates something called garden compost which is a valuable soil conditioner that also provides some nutrients. Seaweed is another natural source of plant food either as a soil dressing or it can be processed and turned into liquid fertiliser too. Alternatives to chemical pest control include biological controls which means that you introduce a predatory insect, or some nematodes (microscopic worms) that devour the pest on your behalf. You could also create suitable habitats in your garden to encourage of wildlife like birds, or benefical insects like lacewings and ladybirds to control the pests. Organic gardening is never about the quick fix it is a long term strategy aimed at maintaining the natural cycles within your garden that help the plants to live a healthier life. For example you feed the soil which feeds the plants in a steady natural manner which makes them healthier and so more able to fight off pest and disease attacks. A good website to visit would be www.greengardener.co.uk <<Back to gardening questions index |
I have a Dracaena (with leaves edged in red) in the house which is far too big. It has three long spindly stems off the main stem, the longest of which is about 60 ins. Can I cut it down? How and when?
Y Clark - Gainsborough, Lincs |
Yes, you can prune your Dracaena (it seems to be one called D. rededge from your description) and the best time to do the job would be in April.
I would just cut down a couple of the stems this spring and the do the others either later, but not after late July, or in next April. It is best to leave at least 4in (10cm) of stem above the compost so that the plant has buds available to make new shoots. <<Back to gardening questions index |
