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Q – I used to hate tulips but now love them – what plants have the panel changed their mind about and why?

Pippa – The Dahlia.  I changed my mind after having children!  I found that Dahlias would distract my son and became a favourite of his – so they became a favourite of mine!

Eric – Jerusalem Artichokes… I was nervous due to their side effects but spiced in a soup they are delicious!

Bunny – The more you eat the more you become tolerant of them so no reason to be put off.

Q – I planted a Mulberry tree about 20 years ago and it seemed to do well – it’s about 20ft high and 18ft wide (6m x 5.5m) – but the problem is that it encroaches on my lawn on three sides, making mowing difficult, can I prune it?

Bunny – Mulberries can take a lot of pruning so I wouldn’t worry about it.  They do have a dense canopy so the only problem will be making it look nice once you’ve pruned it but you won’t do any harm.  Do it during the growing season – particularly in July/August.  Or reduce your lawn.

Q – We had a garden light attached to our walnut tree which stopped working and the electrician was surprised to find that the light was full of worms and their casts.  Is it normal to have tree-climbing worms and how do we stop them getting into the other lights?

Pippa – Earthworms can seem to get everywhere!

Bob – I assume these are reddish worms the Brandling worms?  They tend to go where there is compost material.  There may have been a hole that they moved into first before they got into the light fitting.  Check the other lamps and make sure they are well sealed.

Q – We have a curved, raised bed about 18 inches (45cm) high which incorporates a water feature in the form of a pond and fountain at the rear of the bed.  Previous planting schemes have grown to a height that has obscured the pond – what can the panel recommend for low height?  The bed is rich soil, mostly shade, 3ft x 8ft (0.9m x 2.4m).

Bob – Ornamental?  I’d go for some of the Creeping Thymes right at the front.  Maybe a yellow Marjoram as well. Gets to a foot (30cm) tall when it’s flowering.  Then, second row, I’d go for the ‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum, a succulent plant.

Bunny – Keep it simple – ferns looks very good – Polystichum setiferum does really well.  A carpet of those with the odd Arum marmoratum throughout.  Then in winter a Hellebore ‘Anna’.  

Pippa – I’d go for Epimediums.  Pulmonaria because they are great value.  ‘Sissinghurst’ is a good variety.  

Eric – Juniper horizontalis would be my suggestion.

Bunny – Very 1960s, Eric!

Q – Why do some of my vegetables from my allotment go soft by the next day – radishes, carrots, beetroot – when the supermarket versions stay crisp?

Bob – Do you twist or cut the leaves off?  You should twist because if you cut them off they’ll bleed.  Also, leave the mud on – but not too much otherwise they’ll dry out.  Rub it off, don’t wash it off.  Get some plastic bags with some holes in and put them in there. You need to cut the airflow down a little bit.

Bunny – Supermarket stuff is also packed in gas and bleach washed.

Pippa – I don’t think twisting/cutting makes a huge difference but covering (reducing lost moisture) does.

Q – We had to remove a beloved Wisteria growing up our chimney because our insurers said it was causing cracks in the walls.  Can you recommend an alternative climber that will produce a showy display on a sunny south-east-facing wall.  We have red bricks and clay soil.

Pippa – If you could construct a support system you could go for some lovely roses.  Also, some of the Clematis would work.  

Bunny – Roses.  The Banksiae rose – especially ‘Normalis’.  Cut it back each year to keep it in check.  Or Trachelospermum jasminoides.

Q – The branches of felled trees are often put through a shredder.  If the tree is diseased and the chippings are then used as a mulch what are the chances of the disease then being passed?

Pippa – It depends on what the infection is, how rotted the material is and how vulnerable the reapplication area was.  For example, Apple canker is very good at sustaining itself so I would be nervous about spreading that around an trees that could succumb to that infection.  However, if you were going to put the same clippings in a rose bed I wouldn’t worry because an infection will only spread to a susceptible area.  

Bunny – They say you should leave them for three months to rot down before you spread them.