Â鶹Éç

Q – How ashamed should we feel about replacing 30m2 (323 square feet) of scruffy lawn with artificial grass?

Bob – I think in five years’ time you might regret it as weed seeds will be blow in and they will germinate in it and grow through.  I would take out the lawn, put stepping stone paths through and around it and fill it with herbaceous plants.  

Bunny – Artificial lawns do need vacuuming to keep the detritus/dust away… so they are not maintenance free.

Q – Might it be possible to reinvigorate an old vine?  It’s growing outside and has not flowered/fruited in the 25 years I’ve been in charge of it.

Bob – It’s almost impossible to kill an old vine.  Don’t prune the recent shoots too much as they will only flower on the shoots that have grown the year before.  A couple of inches with a couple of buds would suffice.

Q – If you visit a garden that opens for the National Gardens Scheme what is likely to make your day?

Bunny – If it reacts well with the house and looks lived in and loved.

Matthew – I like one where children are welcome – so we can encourage the next generation of gardeners.

Q – What are the best Lilies to grow in containers and how often should you re-pot them?

Bunny – ‘Casablanca’ Lilies are lovely … they are harder work in containers – you do need to water them well.  I like to grow in terracotta pots because it keeps them moister.  I re-pot about every five years because I am tight for time and you can just about get away with that.

Bob – Containers make it a lot easier re: weeding and also they’re great if you have very dry soil as you can keep them well watered.  I’d go for the ‘Regal’ Lily – white with a touch of pink/purple to it and a lovely scent.

Q – Our theme for Louth Town Council In Bloom Group this year is Time/Thyme.  What varieties of thyme can you recommend that will look best in mid-July?

Bob – The ones you should be interested in are the Thymus serpyllum – the creeping thymes.  There’s a great range of colours and scents.  There’s one called Thymus herba-barona which has a caraway scent.  

Matthew – Thymes do prefer to be grown alone or with other thymes and they like to be kept on the dry-side.  Thymus rotundifolia is great – it makes a good background to other plants.

Q – A friend of mine has inherited a beautiful Tree Peony but it’s in the wrong position – can she move it and, if so, when would be the best time of year?

Matthew – Peonies in general don’t like being moved – but anything is moveable if you have enough time and patience to get things prepared properly.  First thing to do is get the destination ready – get the soil really well prepared, make sure it’s a substantial pit and get plenty of soil improver incorporated too.  Then do it across two seasons if you can – cut 180 degrees round in the first year to sever any roots and encourage fibrous roots about 1-2 feet (0.3-0.6m) away from the plant and then do the other side the following late autumn/winter and then you’d lift it.  Take lots of soil with it, put it in a tarpaulin, then put it in the hole without disturbing too much of the root ball.

Q – I was given a flowering Gerbera about 18 months ago; the plant is still growing and is healthy but I’d like it to flower again – any tips? It’s an orange one, about a foot tall, in an unheated conservatory.

Bunny – I’d say that it’s not getting enough sunlight

Bob – I’d agree with that.  They need more sun and heat.  Try and keep it sunny, maybe bring it inside and put it on a windowsill and hopefully we’ll have a hotter/brighter summer next year

Q – Our 8’ x 6’ (2.4m x 1.8m) unheated greenhouse is now overshadowed by our neighbour’s trees in summer.  Cucumbers seem to grow well but our tomatoes are failing.  Can the panel suggest tomato varieties to grow and some alternative crops please?

Bob – If you can get power in there you can get inexpensive LED lights that will make a big difference.  Some tomatoes are designed for low light/low heat levels – ‘Sub-Arctic Plenty’ is great, I grew one in the middle of winter once!  Try growing the Physalis – the Cape Gooseberry is great to grow as a perennial.  Also, the Jamberry (Physalis ixocarpa) that you can use in salsas.  You could grow gherkins too.  Try melons.  Or loose-leaf lettuces cope with low light too.

Q – We have self-catering accommodation and try to provide fresh flowers to our guests throughout the year.  It gets increasingly difficult at this time of year – do you have any suggestions?

Bob – Look at anything with the name ‘winter’ in it!  ‘Winter Jasmine’ is good – but do remember to cut it back hard once it has finished flowering.  ‘Winter Honeysuckle’ – the one you want is Lonicera fragrantissima.  Wintersweet too.  

Matthew – Iris foetidissima – native to the UK with the common name the ‘Stinking Iris’ – but don’t let the name put you off!  Cotoneaster watereri is great with red berries.  Astas will still flower at this time of year – the smaller-flowered ones in particular.

Bunny – Mistletoe. My Strobilanthes and Dahlias are still doing well too.