Lewes

Q – A few years ago my daughter gave me a Wollemi Pine. It stayed in a pot of about 10 litres (2.2 gallons) for some years but it didn’t thrive. It was in the garden in the pot over the summer and taken into a conservatory during the winter. I then planted it in the garden to recover it and it’s still not thriving. We’re on chalk. Any suggestions?

Matt – I think that with chalk you’ll find that there’s very little topsoil and that it dries out really quickly.

A lot of the cherries and Acer griseum do well on chalky soils.

If you do want to plant in chalk then pick axe or mattock it first.

Q – Have any of the panel experimented with regenerating blind daffodils by removing them from the ground and potting the bulbs in a nutrient-rich compost.

Pippa - I think a lot of plants, including daffodils, have had a rough few years with it either being too wet, too dry, or too windy to take up the nutrients needed.

If they need lifting because the clumps are congested replant them straight into the garden rather than pots.

Matt – Then I’d normally start feeding as soon as they come into flower with a high potash fertiliser so you’ve a long period of them being fed and bulked up ready for the following year.

Christine – Narcissus bulbs initiate floral tissue around June/July/August time – not, as a lot of people think, in the spring. It could just be a case of them drying out as we haven’t seen any evidence of disease.

Q – Do any members of the panel have a favoured weed?

Eric – Mine is well known, I am acting chairman of the “Ground Elder Appreciation Society”! Finest ground cover plant ever invented.

Christine – I’m quite fond of Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) – it comes up quite cheerfully at the beginning of the season and then disappears by the end of May.

Matt – I like the Creeping Speedwell because the blue is the most gorgeous blue, but I don’t allow too many of them and they’re definitely not allowed to seed.

Pippa – I am fond of Herb-Robert – beautiful purple flush, pink geranium flowers. But don’t try to weed it out as it has a disgusting smell.

Q – I’m growing Antirrhinums and Cosmos from seed they are both going to be taller than I’d like. Can I pinch the tops to make them shorter and bushier and if so when do I do it?

Christine – Yes you can. Once they’ve burst and got to about three inches high (7.5cm) just take the tips out. Also, when they’ve been out for a while give them the ‘Chelsea Chop’, so when they’ve get to around about a foot (30cm) take out a sizeable amount of foliage, anything up to about 50%, and then both will break and make attractive plants.

Q – I planted some Raspberry canes in the autumn – I am a complete novice when it comes to their cultivation – have the panel any advice please? They are summer-fruiting.

Matt – Cut them back to about six inches (15cm), dig in some well-rotted organic matter, stake in and support them along canes, keep them under control by digging out any that spread. Keep them moist, keep them tied into the canes, and then a bit of twine on two canes that’s bent over at the top. Keep them well watered as the stems develop, make sure you cover them before the birds get there! Also, pick regularly so you don’t get any mould on the fruit.

Pippa – If they’re going to grow well you will need something sturdier than cane maybe. We use some heavier duty, galvanised wires because if the plants are happy then they really grow in high quantities.

Q – I would like to grow a climbing or rambling rose over a very old crab apple tree. Ideally I would like something bright pink or bright red.

Christine – I would go for “Climbing Charlie Chaplin”… it’s a delightful rose, it will go straight up the centre of the trunk and then will cascade like a glorious fountain. It’s slightly scented, it’s a button type of rose and it’s fantastic.

If the tree is strong Paul’s Himalayan or Rosa brunonii are other options.

Matt – Plant it so the wind will blow the rose into the tree rather than away from it but also if you’ve got an established tree, don’t plant it at the base because it’ll be extremely dry and very ‘rooty’.

Q – I would like to use Wood Sorrel occasionally in my cooking but would only want to forage as far as the edge of my back garden, what conditions do I need to recreate for it to grow?

Christine – Wood Sorrel is an Oxalis. It is tiny but it can be invasive. This is one plant that I would say ‘tread with caution’. I’d suggest planting it in something like a paving flag, or in a very deep pot, to stop it spreading around.

Matt – Add some well-rotted organic matter to the soil too.

Pippa – I grow it in quite a chalky soil without a problem so maybe the chalky soil around here would be dry enough to prevent it spreading.