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Q – Why can’t I grow snowdrops in my garden please?

Christine – Normally snowdrops don’t grow because it’s too dry (and they wither) or it’s too wet (and they rot).Ìý Sometimes squirrels will get them but normally it’s too wet or too dry.Ìý

Bunny – If it’s too wet, plant them on a mound to give them better drainage.

Bob – Make sure you break them up into small bunches of two/three bulbs at a time so that they can spread.

Q – Our carrots look very healthy, with nice green tops, but when we come to cut them they are very difficult to cut through.Ìý The core of the carrot is yellow and green and very enlarged – why is this?

Bob – It’s been quite cold and dry this year.Ìý What’s happened is the root has gone down, it’s made a root, and then it has swelled later.Ìý There’s always a difference between the core and the outside but when they grow really quickly the core tends to be quite tender.Ìý I don’t think it’ll happen again unless we have the same weather pattern.

Q – I’d like to know whether it’s ok for me to prune some large trees and shrubs that I’ve got in the garden.Ìý I find it difficult to do it when they’re not in leaf as I can’t get the shape so well.Ìý I’ve got Mahonias, Sambucas, Pittosporums, Cherry flowering trees, and particularly a Weeping Pear which has got really big.Ìý I’m just worried that I’m going to damage the trees if I cut too much off in the summer months.

Bunny – I think it’s an excellent time to prune.Ìý From a fungal point of view it’s better to do as the plant will be more resistant to disease.Ìý Also we’re not far off from the autumn gales which will rip off new growth.Ìý The only thing is that it’s quite heavy with all the leaves on.Ìý There will be a loss of flowering though with the Mahonia for example but other than that it’s a great time.

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Q – Flea beetles are a real problem this season – they have infested my sweet peas and they have damaged brassica crops – what do you do about flea beetles?

Bob – Firstly, they don’t like wet conditions.Ìý Secondly, they don’t like the smell of tomato leaves – so any spare leaves from your tomatoes will deter them.Ìý Thirdly, and most simply, you take a piece of cardboard, put some golden syrup on it and you wave it over them.Ìý They jump (like fleas) when disturbed so they’ll jump right into the syrup.Ìý

Bunny – Also, yellow sticky papers would work..Ìý Or Envriomesh is an unattractive solution.Ìý

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Q – We have a tree on the allotment site which, after two weeks of us being away on holiday, has turned brown at the top – as if someone had coloured the top third of the leaves brown and left the others green.Ìý The brown leaves Ìýare not shrivelled and none of the surrounding trees were affected.Ìý What’s happened?

Bob – It sounds like sun scorch.Ìý It was very hot for a few days, couple that with a light dew and the top leaves may simply have been burnt.Ìý It shouldn’t cause long-standing damage.

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Q – We have a small Monkey Puzzle tree growing in a pot that has recently started going brown at the bottom and some of the leaves are browning too – is it dying off?Ìý The pot is 9 inches (23cm) in diameter and 10-12 inches (25-30cm) deep – it’s been in for about 6 months.Ìý The tree is about 9 inches (23cm) tall.

Christine – I think it’s fine but just needs re-potting into a bigger pot.Ìý You should be using a loam-based compost and I would keep it well watered.

Bob – I think you might be waterlogging it – keep it a little on the drier side.

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Q – In my heavy soil I am growing rampant Cardoons, about 8 or 9 feet tall, but I’ve never had any success with Globe Artichokes.Ìý I believe they are closely related so what could be the reason?

Bob – The Cardoon is a bit tougher than the Globe Artichoke – the latter needs conditions to be a bit moister.Ìý The best ones come from Brittany which is a wet area of France.Ìý

Bunny – It can be difficult to get Globe Artichokes to establish.Ìý If it’s wet and you get a cold winter they won’t like it.Ìý You can get very good F1 varieties eg Concerto which would do well from seed.Ìý Slightly raise them and perhaps protect them from the cold in winter too.Ìý

Bob – The other things to look out for are slugs and snails.Ìý They won’t do too much to an established plant but they can destroy a young plant.

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Q – If the King of Spain’s daughter* came to visit you what would it be to see?

Bunny – My Persimmon tree or my Grapefruit tree

Christine – My beautiful, purple Plum

Bob – My nut trees – Hazelnuts, Cobnuts, and Filbert Nuts

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*From the nursery rhyme ‘I Had A Little Nut Tree’