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A selection of this month`s gardening
problems - October 2004
Due to the amount of post I am receiving from
readers, I am choosing for this page mainly those
problems that haven`t been printed before..
Do please keep writing in with your
problems.
Q: Angie has a problem
with her Cordylines:- I am a very new gardener
who has recently planted some Cordylines. They are
planted in my front garden which gets the late
afternoon/early evening sunlight, but the tips of the
leaves are turning brown. Could you advise me what I
could be doing wrong please?
A: I have given
you a link to some cultural information for these
plants growing in the UK.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/publications/pubs
/garden0704/cordylines.asp
Q: From Connie:- Due to
sciatica I was unable to do anything to my garden for 2
plus years. I have the best crop of nettles in the
county and I am struggling to get rid of them and also
to bring some sense to overgrown bushes. My back garden
is some 50' long and 35' wide. I have a gardener for 2
hours every fortnight from the local council assisted
scheme, and I am making very little progress. Is there
anywhere I can get help since my budget won't run to
anything more? Or is there a quick way to get rid of
weeds? they seem to thrive on the weed killer I use. I
have to be careful as I have 2 dogs. You can't imagine
how grateful I would be for any help or suggestions you
could give me.
A: Is there nobody
at all who can help you get your garden into shape? Two
hours a fortnight, although a help, isn`t nearly enough
time to spend in an overgrown garden such as yours
sounds..
Could you supervise the gardener and get him to prune
the shrubs, one at a time, right back to basics, then
burn the pruned parts?
Could you ask at your local DIY store, or even
supermarket that sells garden products, which is the
most efficient and safest weedkiller for nettles?
Once the weeds have been killed you could lay some
weed suppressing membrane down, topped with a layer of
bark, to stop them re-appearing.
Ask your council if there is any more help available,
or any schemes for neighbours helping each other.
Have a look in the `jobs wanted` column of your local
paper, as very often there are retired folk wanting to
earn a few bob and have an added interest, who might be
willing to help you get the garden back into shape.
I hope this will give you some ideas..
Q: Barry has a question about
fig trees:- We have just bought a fig tree which
is labelled as Ficus Carica "Higvera Verdal" which we
have not been able to find any reference to anywhere.
The garden centre described it as fully hardy, but we
are beginning to wonder as most other varieties seem to
need some protection. We live in Leicestershire and can
have quite cold weather.
We were thinking of growing it close to a south facing
wall and restricting the roots. Do you have any
thoughts on this one please.
A: The second part of the
name "Higvera Verdal" threw me, but the translation
means "Fig tree Verdal" so I would assume your tree is
a standard type sold as being hardy for our
climate..
I have found some cultivation information here for
you:-
http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf
/arr_html?Ficus+carica&CAN=LATIND
Q: From
Carmel: My Silver Birches have fewer and
smaller leaves each year. What is the problem and what
can I do?
A: Without knowing
what the climate is like where you live, and the
conditions your trees are growing in, or their age, it
is difficult to say with any certainty what is causing
them to weaken.
I have put a link below for possible problems in the
UK, but if you are, as I imagine, in a warm climate,
you will need to search out a more appropriate
website.
Try putting into the search engine `Google` "Silver
Birch problems," then your country, and see what comes
up..
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0704
/diagnosing_leaf_problems.asp
Q: From Margaret: I'm
fighting a losing battle with moss growing through a
tarmac path. I've tried bleach and Jeyes Fluid but
nothing is working.
Can you help?
A: This
usually happens when the tarmac is almost constantly in
the shade.. I
find using a very stiff broom, wire brush, or
powerwash, to get the worst
off, then a weedkiller such as Pathclear to kill off
the remainder.
This has been an exceptionally wet and humid summer,
which has encouraged
heavy growth of moss.
Q: Sue Foster wants to
know when Sweet Williams flower
A: If you are in the UK
you will find them flowering in the spring time,
through to the summer, if they are in the right
position (not too hot)
Mine have decided to flower again recently and I have
been collecting the seeds to scatter around the garden.
They will happily self-seed if you allow the seed to
ripen.
Q: A query about saving
sweet pea seeds: I have let my sweet peas go to
seed, so I picked them and emptied out the peas which
are green. Should I have done this or waited until they
dried in the pods first? What do I do with the peas
now? let them dry?
A: It is debatable
whether collecting seed from Sweet Peas is worthwhile
as the results will have inferior flowers.
There is nothing to lose by ripening the seeds off
and planting them next year.
The correct way to save any seed from annuals is to
let the seed ripen as much as possible before
harvesting it. Collect seed on a dry warm day and
transfer it into a paper bag or envelope and store in a
cool but dry place, usually until spring..
Q: Mandy wants to know: We
have a Photinia (Red Robin). At the time of
planting we added the suggested feed to the soil and
watered well. The Red Robin was in bloom when we
settled it in it's new home, which is in the corner of
our garden, South-west facing, not in full sun
constantly. We have kept it watered since planting. The
blooms have now gone although the stalks I have left
on. We seem to have lost all of the Red leaves and left
with only green ones. The branches appear to be red and
at the tips of most branches there appears to be red
buds. This Red Robin is approximately 4ft in height and
1 - 2 ft in diameter at the base.
My question is: Is it healthy and will the deep red
leaves return later in the year?
I'm not sure what type of soil I have. I'm pretty sure
it is neutral.
A: Your Red Robin has new
growth in the Spring which is red, but it gradually
turns green as the year progresses. You will find that
those red buds will produce more red shoots next
spring, which in turn will fade to green.. They are
beautiful shrubs and seem to grow well in most aspects.
I have seen them
grown as well clipped standard bushes which look
stunning with their new red growth..
Q: Bev wants to
know:- Is there a tree that will withstand a dog's
urine? Pines like an acid soil..would they do well?
Would like the dog to urinate on something other than
the lawn and I would like to plant a tree(s) in the
back yard, but not sure if they would survive. HELP
Thanks, Bev
A: Trees should withstand
dog`s urine, but perhaps it would be possible to set
aside a small part of your garden for the dog...
I have a gravel area, planted with phormiums, bamboo,
palms etc., which I have trained the dog to use for his
toilet. Now he absolutely refuses to use anywhere else,
which is great for several reasons, namely it is easy
to clean up after him, also we and our visitors don`t
step in anything nasty!
It will only take about a week to train him if you use
my instructions below:-
Accompany him each time he needs to `go`, keeping him
on a lead if needs be.
Stay with him at the chosen area and tell him firmly
to `be clean`..
When he performs, give him lots of praise and (most
importantly) a couple of his favourite treats..
Repeat this exercise until he has got the message.. It
will work, I promise you
Previous editions of your gardening
queries:
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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