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Q - Why am I having trouble with grass seed taking considering I’ve had it down since the start of April?  It’s free draining, it’s been scarified, there’s no compaction, it’s well prepared, it was sowed and then covered with a standard top-dressing.
Anne – It’s possible that covering it too thickly was a problem. I generally just rake mine in.  But the commonest failure is actually grass seed that’s gone off. 
Bob – Also, birds can be a problem. You could grow first in tray and then, when it’s about an inch tall (2.5cm), plug it into the lawn from there.


Q – I’ve just bought my first house and am a complete novice gardener and I’ve got a lot of ivy climbing up the front of the house. I’m keen to control it but not necessarily strip it. What should I do?
Pippa – Your best course of action is to try and get up to it and simply cut back some of the extending growth.  And do it unevenly rather than in straight lines so it looks natural rather than hacked.  If the surface is painted then it is best to kill the section you want to remove and then wait for it to go brown before removing it as its ‘grip’ is less strong once brown.
Eric – Ivy is wonderful for wildlife so don’t get rid of it completely.


Q – What are the best drought-tolerant plants for an urban setting?
Anne – Oriental Poppies or the Soft Shield Fern. 
Bob – Figs or grapevines don’t need watering so you’ll be fine.  Also try Rock Roses, Cistus, and silvery herbs like Thyme, Rosemary and Lavender.
Pippa – Herbaceous geraniums have interesting foliage as well as flowers. 

Q - Is it a bad idea to remove unsightly foliage from Aliums when they are still in flower. 
Anne – I think you should leave them until they are yellow. They will die back fairly quickly. Grow plants around them to disguise the leaves, such as Geraniums or Catmint. Allium karataviense has a much smarter appearance but doesn’t have the large purple flower head. 

Q -I have trouble growing Camellias in a southwest-facing garden. Could the panel provide advice?
Bob – Use ericaceous compost or leaf mould because they don’t like too much lime. Anne – They need a moisture retentive soil and some light shade. 


Q - My raspberries are healthy other than a yellowing on the leaves. What could be causing this? 
The soil is too chalky. Spray them with some seafood solution to increase the trace element that must be deficient.  It could be too much lime caused by using tap water.  If it is mottled it could be a disease.