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Q – Should I plant wild garlic or ‘Lily of the Valley’ in my shady bit of garden or am I asking for trouble?

Matthew – Wild garlic is good out in the woods but I would choose ‘Lily of the Valley’ for the garden.Ìý I would think that together the garlic would overpower the aroma of the ‘Lily of the Valley’.

Pippa – You could try it – but I’d put the ‘Lily of the Valley’ in the less shady bit if possible – the garlic will be happier in the denser shade.

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Q – Should I take the moss off flowerbeds or should I dig it in?

Christine – I would leave it there unless it is choking plants.

Matthew – It probably isn’t doing any harm but it is probably indicative of poor drainage in the beds. I’d disturb it and then put organic material on top of it to break it down.

Pippa – Not a priority.Ìý But if you are looking to get plants to self seed eg Hellebores then I would clear it because it’ll make seedling establishment difficult.

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Q – Why can’t I grow Freesias?Ìý I’ve planted them in pots in my greenhouse but they only grow leaves, no blooms.

Pippa – They are made to sound easier on the packet than they are in real life! I’ve pretty much given up now – but you need to ensure you’re getting enough warmth and enough sunshine at the right stage.

Christine – In South Africa they use ethylene gas – which you can buy pads of on the Internet – and then you pop your bulb in the pad and that encourages growth of flowers.

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Q – I’ve recently moved to a new house and I want to put a greenhouse in.Ìý The plot is south-west to north-east – how important is orientation of a greenhouse?

Matthew – It’s important in order to maximise exposure to the sun but it’s nothing to worry about. Certain plants will do better than others in different parts of your greenhouse depending on where the shade falls – but you can just play around with it.

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Q – I like growing different varieties of runner beans on my allotment and I also collect the seeds from year-to-year.Ìý For the past two years I’ve been collecting black beans – have you ever seen this before and, if so, what variety might they be?

Christine – In the Heritage Seed Collection you’ll come across a few black varieties.Ìý They’re not that common but they’re not unheard of.Ìý I suspect you have some cross-pollination going on with one of your neighbours.Ìý

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Q – I’m very keen on growing my own strawberries but have given up due to pests – I’ve kept the birds and the rabbits away with fencing and netting but cannot deter squirrels and mice. What can you recommend?

Pippa – If you’ve got a good covering of netting and it’s still not working then you might have voles. They’ll pop up from underneath and then harvest your fruit! I haven’t found a way to deter them yet but I am fond of voles.

Matthew – You could try chilli powder – most mammals snuffle and chilli powder can give them a bit of a shock!

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Q – What are the panel’s views on using Eucalyptus as an evergreen hedge and would it be suitable for hedge lane practices as opposed to growing shrub-style?

Matthew – Unfortunately Eucalyptus has a very open habit – there’s a reason why you haven’t seen a Eucalyptus hedge!Ìý They’re not going to respond well to being trained.Ìý They also grow rapidly and become unstable quickly.Ìý If you want a silvery hedge I would go for Eleagnus ‘Quicksilver’.