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This month`s gardening problems - April
2004
Q:
Debbie has a query about Portugese Laurels:
Can you grow Portugese Laurel trees in large containers? I believe you would
have to keep them pruned. Do they need sun or shade and are they relatively
hardy?
A:
I suppose you could grow them in large containers,
but bearing in mind their eventual height is about 20m, they might outgrow
them too quickly. Having said that, if they were pruned regularly, the roots
and stem would stay restricted - sort of bonsai`d!
As to aspect, I have them in
sunny spots and shady corners and they all do equally well. Just take care
that they are a bit protected against weather extremes.
Q: Judy wants to know what to
feed her Gunnera and peonies:
Our gunnera plants are starting to pop up and, so our peonies. What do I
feed them. I heard the gunnera's are heavy eaters.
A:
Generally, the soil should be rich in nutrients and organic material. If
you make your own compost, adding some of this annually will do the
trick. Gunneras like to grow near water and are very thirsty plants.. Peonies are
not particularly fussy as to the type of soil, but they will benefit
from the addition of organic material and compost into the planting hole
when they are planted out. Other than that, they need good drainage and
a soil pH which is neutral (pH 7.0) or at the most, only slightly
acidic.
Q: Traci wants to know what is
wrong with her Yukka:
We have a very large yukka (8 feet or so high) in our
lounge. It was
repotted last spring and has been doing well and looking healthy until a
couple of months ago when the lower leaves turned yellow. I removed
the yellow leaves and almost straight away the same thing happened with the
next ones up?
A: I shouldn`t worry about it
too much as evergreens do shed their lower leaves periodically. I have a
Dracaena which is about seven feet tall and lives in
the unheated conservatory. It bakes in the summer and freezes in the winter
when, incidentally, many of it`s lower leaves go yellow and drop off.. It
grows really well though.
(I also enclosed some cultural information which has been on other yukka
queries..)
Q: Audrey wants some help:
Could you point me in the direction of buying materials for raised flower
beds?
A:
If you have a local DIY store near you, they will be able to supply
everything you need, including compost and plants. Otherwise try a local
builders` merchant, who will have catalogues of the latest resin type
blocks and planks for building tough but lightweight raised flower
beds.. You could search in "Google", the search engine, for garden
building products, to get an idea of the type of material you fancy
building it from. Perhaps your local library has garden design
books that you can look at for ideas.
Q: Christine has a problem
with plants that don`t flower
I planted
a couple of clematis and honeysuckles 3 years ago. They arrived as "mature
plants". They look healthy and have plenty of leaves. I have pruned them,
but not too viciously. However, I have not had a single flower on any of them.
What am I doing wrong?
A: I wonder
if you are pruning the honeysuckles in the autumn, which is the correct time for most
of them...Honeysuckles that flower early in the season, on short laterals from the
previous year's growth, should be pruned back by about one-third in late summer
immediately after flowering. Another reason for non- flowering
could be that you are being too kind to them, with soil that is too rich and peaty.. They
thrive on neglect. You might also be pruning your clematis at the wrong time of
year.. There are many types of clematis and three basic times to prune clematis
with different growth habits..
Without knowing where you live, what
type of soil you have, the aspect of your plants, or their type, I could not give you an
honest answer. The best I can suggest is that you search "Google" for cultivation requirements for these two plants, or borrow a gardening book from
your local library..
Q: Mel wants to plant a Pyracantha hedge:
I am
considering planting a Pyracantha hedge and would like some info on the type of soil, time
to plant, best type of plant and any other useful info you could muster up. The
hedge will be about 15ft x 20ft. Is this a good hedge and how long will it
take to reach about 21/2 ft in height if I plant it from small plants about 15cm high?
A: A
Pyracantha hedge will certainly deter burglars as they are very prickly
plants! Pyracanthas are tough plants that don`t need much in the way of water or
care, other than an annual pruning.. They grow about 12 inches a year.. When
planting them, (preferably in the spring) mix some compost in the soil and sprinkle some
slow release fertiliser granules around the roots. Keep moist until established.
I must admit to not having seen a hedge of
these shrubs and they would not be my first choice as they are usually grown up
against walls as espaliers.
Q: Denise has a problem with her yukka:
I seem to have what seems
like a fungus of some kind growing on my Yukka plant, this is the second one I have got
that has this problem, even the baby new leaves are affected, I have just tried some
organic anti-fungal spray, but to no avail. Is this a common problem with the Yukka
plant? And what would you suggest before my baby goes belly up?
Without knowing the conditions in which your yukka is growing, it
is very difficult to make a diagnosis. I have put some cultural information below in the
hopes that you will be able to see if anything is not quite right for it.
Very often though, there is no apparent reason for a plant failing to
thrive and you will need to start again by re-potting your plant and perhaps moving it to
a different position....
(I enclosed some cultural information which has been on other yukka queries..)
Previous editions of your gardening queries:
Edition 1 
Edition 2
Edition 3
Edition 4
Edition 5
Edition 6
Edition 7
Edition 8
Edition 9
Edition 10
Edition 11
Edition 12
Please e-mail me with your garden
problems, comments, or ideas for this section of laterlife.
Click here for previous editions of Gardener`s
Diary..
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