|  Mary Mary, quite contrary,
How does
your garden grow?
With
silver bells and cockle
shells,
And
pretty maids all in a
row....
If only
gardening were as simple as that little nursery rhyme. But it isn`t, so we are putting
some of the solutions here to problems you have written to us about, so everyone can have
the benefit.
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.
This month`s gardening problems
Q: Landra Richter writes - I planted
the passion flower vine about two years ago and it has taken over my yard.
Then I planted a cypress vine and it did the same thing. Any suggestions on
how to control these vines? Thanks for your help.
A:
You seem to have perfect growing conditions for these two rampant
plants! The Cypress Vine we know in the UK as "Ipomoea" or Morning Glory,
having either blue, white or red trumpet like flowers.. There is nothing for
it but to prune them back to the size that suits you.. Wait until the Spring
and start with the smaller shoots and tendrils, gradually working your way
in to the larger stems until you have a reasonable size and shape.. I am
assuming both plants are outside in your garden and will need to overwinter
in cooler conditions.
Q: From ACmrn - Could you please tell
me how old an outdoor yukka plant has to be before it flowers. My plant is 3
years old. Also what is the best time to move them and the best way to do it
A: My yukkas didn`t flower for
about seven years, which would make them about ten years old. It would
depend on your climate also.. Hot and sunny will make them mature sooner.
They are tough plants and will move easily. You need to prepare it for the
move by first watering it well, then digging as big a hole as possible so as
not to break off too many roots, finally re-planting it deeply enough
and making sure it has enough water until established.. It would be a good
idea to tie the plant up and put some sacking round it for your protection,
as these are dangerous plants to fall onto.
Q: Steve asks - I have
an old plum tree in the garden.I pruned a couple of over hanging twigs in
February and some of my plums are now growing with a purple fungal type
growth and some appear to be weeping. Any suggestions?
A: It sounds as if your plum tree is suffering from Brown Rot
which causes a rapid decay of fruit while it is still on the tree. As to
the weeping or gumming, this appears to be a physiological disorder.
Established trees benefit from dressings of nitrogen and also applications
of bulky organic manures. Take some advice as to chemical treatment from
your local garden centre or DIY store and give it some TLC for a few years
to see if it can be saved. A good session of pruning will also help and this
is the correct time of year to prune established plum trees. I hope
this helps.
Q: P Daniels asks- My wife purchased a potted Wisteria a
couple of months back. She transferred it into a bigger pot and the plant
seemed OK for a short while. .My wife covered the peat over with some shells
we had collected from a short break over to cardiff and now the
Wisteria seems to be looking very drab. Do you think it could have something
to do with salt out of the shells? Look forward to your reply.
A: The first thing you should
do, unless it is a dwarf variety suitable for growing in pots, is to plant
it in your garden, up against a wall. Wisterias need to have plenty of root
space as they grow to 30 metres or more... I don`t think the shells will
have contributed to the condition of your plant, but to be on the safe side,
take them off and give them a thorough wash...
Q: From Jean - We have a Portugese Laurel Bush in our
garden, which, after 19 years, has grown a bit too large. A local tree
surgeon has said he could cut it right down and it would gradually grow
again over the years but would give us some space for now. Is this an Ok
solution? I'd be grateful for any advice.
A:
Beware of tree surgeons wielding chain saws, because nothing is safe from
them.. I have just been out into my garden and looked at my five Portugese
laurels which were planted four years ago and now stand about 12ft x 6ft in
size. Each one of them has just one main trunk with many smaller branches
growing outwards. Without knowing the size of your garden and the size of
the laurel, I cannot say in all honesty what you should do. If it were me
though I would do what I did recently to a Bay Laurel in my garden, that had
reached enormous proportions.. It was multi-stemmed and I cut them all off
except the main central stem. I then cut off all the lower branches up to
three feet from the ground, resulting in a beautifully shaped tree.. If it
had been too tall, I would have taken some off the height. I had looked at
it countless times and had to do something with it, so eventually I just got
stuck in... Portugese Laurels are very forgiving, so why don`t you have a go
at shaping it first, because I fear you may be left with a huge gaping gap
and regret any decision to remove it.. If you are not able to do the work
yourself, tell the tree surgeon what you want doing, and ask him if he is
prepared to do it. If not find a gardener who will.. Of course if you don`t
like the laurel anyway, this is an excellent excuse to replace it with a
different shrub..
Q: From Byron - I have a number of
Cordylines in excess of 8 ft in height that are planted in the ground.
I need to move them to rebuild a wall. Can I move them into large pots as a
permanent measure?
A:
It seems your Cordylines will have to take their chances on
survival if they are in the way of a wall that needs rebuilding.. If it is
not possible to work round them, you can try moving them temporarily, and
replanting them in the ground after the work is complete. They they will
have large roots and won`t take kindly to living in pots after being in the
ground. They will also be top heavy and get blown over in the wind...
Cordylines are very resilient plants and you may find it easier to dig them
up, rebuild your wall then replant them. Make sure you get as much root as
possible and keep them moist until you replant them..
I bought a twin stemmed cordyline four years ago and decided that as it had
grown to look a bit `squashed` I would remove one of the stems. Like yours
it was about 8-10 feet tall. It looks much better with only one straight
trunk and the remains of the second stump now has eighteen new shoots!
This of course is another option you have, chop them down and they will
regrow..
** Update from Byron... We have decided to move the main one (I have
three) that is in the way of the driveway expansion, to an extremely large
pot (nearly 4 feet high and 3 1/2 feet wide) and see how we go from there.
I will forward some pictures on completion.
* I often wonder how you got on with your gardening problem.. Did you take
my advice or come up with a different solution? Some of you do reply and I love
getting follow-ups, so if you have a moment to spare...
Previous editions of your gardening queries:
Edition 1
Edition 2
Edition 3
Edition 4
Edition 5
Edition 6
Please e-mail me
with your garden problems, comments, or ideas for this section of laterlife.
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