麻豆社

Q1 鈥� My town garden is at its best in June and July, but my goddaughter wants her wedding reception here on August 31st鈥� what can I grow or add to make the garden look wonderful that late in the season? (03鈥�40鈥�)

Mary Berry

• Laurus nobilis, bay tree - 听with Erigeron karvinskianus, Mexican fleabane as underplanting

Bunny Guinness

• Lilium spp., lilies

• Cosmos spp., cosmos

• Salvia spp., salvias

• Lathyrus odoratus, sweet pea

Matthew Pottage

• Cleome hassleriana, 鈥橵iolet Queen鈥� spider flower

• Dahlia (single鈥慺lower forms)

• Thunbergia alata, black鈥慹yed Susan vine (modern cultivars in softer colours)

Christine Walkden

• Galtonia spp., summer hyacinths

• Gladiolus spp., gladioli

• Watsonia spp., watsonias

Q2 鈥� Several of my roses have become evergreen in recent years鈥� one climber keeps all its leaves and gets black spot. Should I just spray, or what should I do when the leaves don鈥檛 fall off anymore. (07鈥�48鈥�)

Mary Berry

• Rosa 鈥楥handos Beauty鈥�, rose [Chandos Beauty]

Matthew Pottage

• Rosa banksiae 鈥楲utea鈥�, double yellow Banksian rose

(Other advice focused on pruning, spacing, and hygiene)

Q3 鈥� One side of my small garden grows clematis beautifully, but the shadier, more acidic side keeps killing them. Should I lime the soil, use mushroom compost, or just give up? (11鈥�37鈥�)

Matthew pottage

路听听听听听听 Variegated climbing hydrangea suggested - Hydrangea听hydrangeoides, Japanese hydrangea vine

Q4 鈥� I leave a patch of nettles for butterflies, but when can I cut them back without harming their caterpillars? (14鈥�37鈥� )

Q5 鈥� Do I really need to wash all my plastic pots every year? It would save so much time and water if I stopped鈥� (17鈥�56鈥�)

Q6 鈥� I have a 1 脳 1.5m raised bed in Copenhagen. What can I plant directly鈥攏o indoor sowing鈥攖o give me cut flowers throughout the year? (17鈥�56鈥�)

Bunny Guinness

• Convallaria majalis, lily of the valley

• Cosmos spp., cosmos

Matthew Pottage

• Nigella damascena, love鈥慽n鈥慳鈥憁ist

• Alstroemeria, Peruvian lily

• Alstroemeria听Indian Summer听('Tesronto'PBR) (Summer Paradise - Summer Series), Peruvian lily [Indian summer]

听

Q7 鈥� I鈥檝e planted three bare鈥憆oot yews and want to shape them into low, 90cm domes. Should I wait for them to spread before cutting the tops, or prune now to make them bushier? (26鈥�51鈥�)

Bunny Guinness

• Taxus baccata听'Renke's Kleiner Gr眉ner', yew 'Renke's Kleiner Gr眉ner' (Renke's Little Green)听

Q8 鈥� I grafted an apple 4鈥�5 years ago and it鈥檚 now 1.2m tall in a pot. It鈥檚 never been pruned. Do I need to do formative pruning now, or is it too late? (32鈥�37鈥�)

• Malus domestica, apple

• Malus domestica 鈥楤ramley鈥檚 Seedling鈥�, Bramley apple

Q9 鈥� We need a low hedge at the front of our house, but we have deer, rabbits, pigeons - and honey fungus. Is there anything we can plant? (36鈥�14鈥�)

Matthew Pottage

• Osmanthus 脳 burkwoodii, Burkwood osmanthus

• Osmanthus听脳听fortune, Fortune's osmanthus

General caution

• Prunus laurocerasus, cherry laurel 鈥� mentioned only as a honey鈥慺ungus鈥憇usceptible plant to avoid

Q10 鈥� 听鈥淚 have acquired a new allotment, and the bindweed is like macaroni. I won鈥檛 use chemicals or plastic - how can I weaken it? (37鈥�53鈥�)

听

听