Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú

Q – Should we leave daffodil foliage to die back before mowing or can we mow after flowering has finished?

Ìý

Wilson – I would leave it.Ìý I’d even plant more bulbs that will come through later like Camassias.Ìý Deadhead and then let them die back naturally.

Ìý

Pippa – Agreed.Ìý And you don’t need to feed every year if you deadhead and then die back naturally

Ìý

Pottage – Use cultivars like ‘Jenny’ or ‘Thalia’; ones that have smaller narrower leaves so it’s easier to manage.Ìý Then other things – orchids, yellow rattle – can move in and add a new aesthetic.Ìý

Ìý

Q – Does mistletoe on an apple tree affect the quality of the apples?

Ìý

Pottage – No

Ìý

Wilson – Agreed

Ìý

Q – Do you have any suggestions for a hedge to divide my lawn and patio?Ìý It needs to be hardy and clay-tolerant.

Ìý

Wilson – Hawthorn used to be popular but it won’t work in a short run.Ìý Camellia works well in London.Ìý Go for a white-flowered variety as they look neater in a hedge.

Ìý

Pottage – Taxus baccata ‘Repandens’.Ìý Berberis thunbergii ‘Compacta’ would be more interesting but is spiky.Ìý Hebes are worth looking into.Ìý Daphne odura ‘Aureomarginata’ would be good as a small, loose option

Ìý

Pippa – If you can go up to 4ft to 5ft (1.2m to 1.5m) I would choose Beech.Ìý Run a Clematis through it.Ìý

Ìý

Q – I have a ‘Japanese Maple’ (Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’) in a terracotta pot but the tree’s root has grown through the pot into the ground.Ìý Is it safe to cut the root or should I break the pot and dig the whole thing up?

Ìý

Pottage – I would break the pot and dig it out.Ìý You don’t want to upset the tree.Ìý

Ìý

Ìý

Ìý

Q – We planted a wildflower meadow in 2017 but it is taking its time to establish.Ìý What single plant would you recommend that would quickly establish itself in this London location?

Ìý

Wilson – Yellow rattle.Ìý It is a hemi-parasitic plant that reduces the vigour of the grass around it and so helps other flowers to establish.Ìý Heavily scarify in autumn and then sow it in.Ìý

Ìý

Pottage – You’ve got a perfect spot for exotics.Ìý Abandon the meadow and do exotics instead.

Ìý

Q – I was given a lemon tree as a present. If it flowers before it can go outside, how do I pollinate it?

Ìý

Pippa – You could titivate with a paintbrush, but I think there are enough accidental pollinators around that you should be ok without bees etc.Ìý

Ìý

Q – What should I plant to screen a new deer/rabbit fence?Ìý It’s about 6ft (1.8m) tall.Ìý

Ìý

Wilson – Look at native hedgerows around where you live and plant along those lines.Ìý Go down the thornier route like Hawthorn.Ìý

Ìý

Q – We have planters on our doorstep that have been there for two years.Ìý Should I now empty and start again?Ìý Or keep the current plants?Ìý They’re starting to look a little tired.

Ìý

Pottage – Get rid and start again.Ìý Use a John Innes No 3 to give the next lot of plants a longer life in a smaller pot.Ìý

Ìý

Wilson – After doing that regularly liquid feed and that will help longevity too.Ìý

Ìý

Pippa – Try controlled-release fertiliser granules when you replant

Ìý

Q – If you could obliterate any plant from horticulture what would it be and why?

Ìý

Pottage – Russian Vine.Ìý If you want to cover a fence quickly use Ivy or a Clematis montana…

Ìý

Eric – …or Rambling Rector

Ìý

Pippa – Fake grass.Ìý Or Viburnum tinus – it smells like wet dog.

Ìý

Wilson – Leylandii hedges