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This month`s gardening problems
Q: Dee Doyle
asks:-
I have a honeysuckle which lives in a container on my roof garden. It is
around 12/15 years old. For the past 5 years I have not had the pleasure
of seeing it flower, and it is a total mystery why this is the case. The
buds form prolifically in May, but as they swell and start to get
larger, they virtually all disappear over a period of around a couple of
weeks. The buds are pulled out whole as opposed to nibbled. I have
established that the birds are not to blame, by netting the whole thing
from tip to ground. Also, although I do suffer with slugs, there
has never been a trace of these on the shrub. Someone suggested
mice, and another person earwigs. Whatever it is, there is never a
trace of the stolen buds either on the ground or on the top of the
container. The shrub is otherwise healthy, with good foliage. If
anyone can help me to find a solution to this problem I would be
grateful. How I miss it's delightful fragrance and blossom.
A: I am really
unsure of the reason for your buds dropping and am making a guess at the
cause.. I have two identical honeysuckles in different aspects of my
garden and the one that has cool, moist roots, flowers it`s socks off,
whilst the other one with it`s roots in dry, sandy soil has spindly new
growth, doesn`t flower and is covered in aphids year upon year. I have
seen the dropped buds from the dry honeysuckle carried off by ants,
possibly looking for aphids.
Another problem could be that your honeysuckle has become
pot-bound
I think you may need to turn detective with a magnifying
glass looking for hidden insects or diseases! I am curious to know the
answer to your problem and sorry I cannot be more positive! If any reader
can help Dee, please e-mail me
Q: Yvonne Goold says: I have
been trying to purchase 2 gadgets called Hi-Lo's. They are used to raise and
lower hanging baskets, I have two in use but they are showing signs of wear.
My local garden centres have heard of them but no longer stock them, can you
tell me if they are still about. Incidentally they are invaluable for
us senior citizens.
A: I haven`t seen them for sale in quite a while, but agree
with you that these pulleys are invaluable, making watering and deadheading
an easy task.. However, I have searched on the internet and come across this
website address which gives fairly simple instructions for making them. Not
much equipment needed either. http://www.elizatinsley.co.uk/projidea.php
Q: Sylvia Wright asks: Is
there anything I can do this month to eradicate the clover on my lawn
without using a week killer which will leave black patches?
A: Funnily
enough I have just written that I have had to treat some stubborn
patches of clover that weren`t killed by the spring application of `weed
and feed`.. I did use a weedkiller though - Verdone, but find that it
does the trick without leaving those horrid black patches you
mention. I`m afraid I don`t have any ideas for non-chemical treatments
though, other than physically ripping all the clover out..
Q: Nigel Gostelow says:
I was interested to read your article on seed collection. I am
interested in collecting Busy Lizzie seeds in order to make attractive
different colour displays - such as a George Cross. Are the seeds
in the small pod in the centre of the flower or is it just one seed?
Does the pod need drying out?
A: The first thing I need to tell you is
that collected seeds will be random colours due to cross pollination and
the plants themselves won`t be F1 hybrids.You will have no way of
knowing what colours to expect from your seedlings, so for making colour
displays you would need to buy packets of seeds in your required
colours. (There are not many seeds per packet, so shop around different
brands.)The seeds are indeed the small ridged pod in the centre, that
swells and eventually explodes. You will need to be quick to catch them
at the right time; too soon and they won`t be ripe enough, too late and
they will explode! Keep seeds in a paper bag in a dry cupboard over
winter and when it is time to sow them, make sure they have a very warm
place such as an airing cupboard with a constant temperature, to aid
germination.. Put the seed trays inside polythene bags to maintain a
humid atmosphere necessary for germination.
Even if you won`t be able to make the colour displays due to
random colours, you will get nice healthy plants.
Q: Ann from Belize
(formerly British Honduras), Central America says: I have a type of
Jasmine in my garden which I am unable to identify. I think it is
jasmine. I have searched on the web but cannot find a web site with
pictures. Could you give me the address of a botanical; or other site
where I may have better luck..
A: I have put two website links below
for you to use in your search. I have just been trying the RHS link
myself to do a search on your behalf and it came up with 42 results for
jasmine and the addresses of nurseries selling them. A case of back
tracking perhaps. The other address has eight Jasminums all with images.
Failing this, I would go to my local library, find a quiet corner and
plough through some gardening books. There are also quite a few garden
enthusiast forums on the internet, where, if you could place a photo of
your jasmine, a kind soul would surely have the answer..
http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantfinder.asp
Q: Elly from
New Zealand writes: My teenage daughter has bought herself a yukka
plant. How does one care for it. We live in New Zealand, Christchurch (South
Island) and get frost but no snow. My daughter has the plant in her bedroom.
The bedroom is on the cold side of the house.
Where does the plant originate from to mimic conditions.
How much/little water?
Does it benefit from a thorough soaking once a month? (ie place in a
bucket of water for a couple of hours.)
Does it mind 'wet feet?
It is in a smallish pot. Does it need to be transplanted into a larger
pot.
How much shade can it stand?
Is it an indoor or outdoor plant? etc. etc.
A: Yukka is a genus of
about 40 species of rosette-forming or woody-based perennials, evergreen shrubs, and
erect, eventually spreading, evergreen trees from hot, dry places, such as desert, sand
dunes, and plains, in North and Central America and the West Indies. A mature Yukka is a
False Palm. It will need a deep, well-drained container which can be moved outdoors in
summer. In winter it will require an unheated and well-lit spot.
Temperature: Average warmth in summer
- minimum 55F in winter. Brightly lit spot. Provide as much light as possible.
Water: Keep compost moist at all times but never
waterlogged. Reduce watering in winter. Use soft, tepid water. Misting is not
necessary.
Propagation: Remove and pot up
offsets, or root cane cuttings in winter.
Pruning: If your plant gets too tall you may
cut it down or just cut out some of the stems and new shoots will appear.
I hope this has answered your
questions and the yukka will thrive.
Please e-mail me
with your garden problems, comments, or ideas for this section of laterlife.
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