Gardeners' questions

Well, to be truthful, they found me. They jumped out of the cupboard when I opened the door. I thought it must be a sign that I should do something about it. One chilly damp day this week (the ones interspersed with the tropical heat wave) I sat down at my desk armed with a cheque book, envelopes, stamps and my favourite pen and set to sorting it out. All bills have been paid, all the catalogues (the ones that you keep just in case there is something in them that you might one day want, but never actually open again) have been thrown away, and all invitations replied to. Now that the growing season is here again, the pests, problems and queries are showing themselves and I am receiving bundles of gardening questions. I thought I would dedicate today's article to some of those who have written to me over the last few weeks. MRS Clarke wants to know if there is anything that she can do to discourage rabbits from coming into her garden. She has netted the bottom of the hedge but this hasn't kept them out. Barriers seem to be the best method of rabbit control. You have already fenced off the bottom of the hedge. I wonder, is there any way of putting up a higher, more substantial mesh fence just on the inside of your hedge. If so, you must remember to bury the mesh at least nine inches into the ground, as rabbits are very adept at burying underneath fences. If you are trying to grow vegetables then again you will have to make sure to have everything boxed in. Buy, or make some cloches (we use netting and hooped willow twigs at Natures World). There are some plants that rabbits will not touch, such as foxgloves, hardy geraniums, eryngiums, lavender and most shrubs. You might want to consider some of the more unconventional, but traditional garden folklore remedies for ridding the garden of rabbits. Leave your working shoes out in the garden (upside down on a stick hammered into the ground). This leaves the sweaty scent of humans still out and about, so the rabbit tends not to approach. Ferret dropping scattered around the garden will deter rabbits, as does little bunches of human hair tied into bundles and suspended from branches. MR Tolley had an apple tree that was in full bloom early last year. However, much of it dried off and very few apples were produced. He wants to know if it was caused by insects and what can he do to prevent it happening again. The apple crop was very varied last year. Some had little and some were so bountiful, but the fruit didn't keep well, and tended to go brown from the inside quickly. This was largely due to the extended dry period. The lack of water reaching the developing fruitlets caused them to shrivel up and die. The signs are already in place for a much wetter spring and summer. The blossom stands a good chance of setting and developing normally. If we do suffer unexpected drought periods, make sure to water the tree regularly. Clear away any grass growing around the trunk and apply a mulch of cardboard covered in either straw, grass clippings or well rotted manure around this area. MISS Kentfield is wanting to plant a bed of 'Queen Elizabeth' roses. The area in which she wants to do this is compressed heavy clay. She knows that by incorporating horse manure the texture of the soil would improve, but she is worried that the manure could damage the plant roots. She wants to know what else she can do to condition the soil in this area. Clay, although heavy, does have all the correct mineral and chemical needs for luscious plant growth. It just needs 'opening up' a bit. Any humus like material, straw, sea weed, grass clippings, leaf mould and compost will do the trick. You can also add sand, gravel and bark chippings. It just gets the air pockets going, makes digging easier and releases the nutrients. Horse manure is fine as long as it is well rotted down. Anythings ix months to a year (or more) old should be fine. Fresh manure is very high in ammonia which may burn the roots of the plants. MRS Perkins wants to know if it is better to dig up tulip bulbs after they have finished flowering, and would the soapy water remedy for greenfly also work for black fly on her mock orange. Tulips, unlike daffodils do perform much better and for a longer period of time if they are dug up after the stems have died down and stored in a cool dry place until next autumn. Yes, the soapy solution will work on the black fly, but you will have to do it on a daily basis to start with. Make sure that they are not the pollen beetles that invaded us last year. These are small and shiny and apart from looking unsightly do no harm to the plant. MRS Quigly wants to know when is the best time to prune photinia red robin, and also, when is the best time to move them. It is only the new growth on the photinia bush that is red. It turns green after a period of approximately one year. Regular pruning encourages more new growth and hence, more red shoots. They are usually clipped back in spring, but this can be done more often if the shrub outgrows it space. They do make an interesting and easy to control hedge. When it comes to moving them, treat them as any other shrub. Move in the dormant season for best results, that is from late autumn through to early spring. They may be moved at other times if absolutely necessary, but make sure to water very thoroughly. POST SCRIPT Brigid presents 'Ask about Gardening' every Sunday from noon-2pm on BBC radio Cleveland. Send questions to be answered in The Northern Echo to or write to Brigid at brigidpress@hotmail.com or write to her c/o Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Acklam, Middlesbrough.