I WAS asked if I chopped, tied or cut. The question (and the answer) became much clearer when the person asking me said one more word - "daffodils".

"Oh, you have to leave them for a few weeks until the foliage dies down, " I replied.

"That's just a myth, isn't it? I cut mine down as soon as they have finished flowering, " came the reply.

I went on to explain that by leaving the leaves on to die down slowly, you are allowing them to continue making food for the bulb under the ground. As the leaves go yellow and fade away, the remainder of their energy is also absorbed into the bulb, building up resources for next year's growth.

Tying up is a neater option, but this practice has now become dated, as science has proved that by bending them over and squashing them all up together you are not allowing all of the surface area to carry out photosynthesis, and that any energy created can't run smoothly back down to the bulb.

I went on to say that it also helps if you carry out a fairly strict dead heading routine on the plants, as this prevents them wasting a huge amount of food and energy on forming and creating seeds.

I thought that quite a simple and sound reasoning for the whole process, but I wasn't to get the last word in.

"So, how do they know how to do this if you have taken their heads off? How do they think then? Answer me that."

What I was trying to prove was that despite there being an awful lot of myth and mystery to some of the gardening traditions, there is usually a good, solid scientific reasoning behind it. Admittedly, the solution may have been reached purely by accident, but the bottom line is that, more often than not, it works.

Take for instance the good old standby for all organic or noncommercial chemical gardeners - the soapy water spray for eradicating greenfly. A load of rubbish many say, but that's only because you have to keep at it. The spray needs applying every day until all the greenfly have been zapped, and all their newly hatched young have been dealt with. It is a contact killer. It will only kill the greenfly, and it will only kill them if it touches them. What happens is that the detergent in the soap actually breaks down the waxy layer on the aphid's skin. Without this, it can't breathe, and so dies.

This was discovered in Victorian times, when the washing and shaving bowl was emptied out onto the garden, and probably used to water the prized roses. These roses grew well because the soap in the water killed the greenfly, and this was done on a daily basis, so they never returned.

Although we are moving in a more scientific world, this doesn't mean that we have to ignore the old lores of the garden. It just means that we can understand how they work a bit better.

Gardners' Questions

MRS Drabble from County Durham e-mailed me with a question on plant supports. She grows a load of good old fashioned perennials in her cottage-style garden and they often need something to hold them upright in the height of the summer. She thinks that the metal frames bought from garden centres are too harsh and unnatural. Is there anything else that would blend in with the garden better?

IF the supports are placed over the plants early enough in the spring then as the plant grows, it should be hidden by the foliage in the summer. However, there are a number of frames that could blend in better with the garden. She could try using ones woven out of willow, or even try making some herself from garden prunings.

Anything pliable would do, and especially those cut down at the end of autumn. Buddleia, dogwood, ash and elderflower are particularly good.

The twiggy off cuts can also be used by simply pushing them into the ground and allowing the plants to clamber amongst them.

She could, of course, go the other way, and instead of hiding the support make an artistic statement with it. There are some very shapely, curly metal supports that look good in the winter and spring, but then allow the plant to shine throughout the summer.

JOBS THIS WEEK

Protect fruit blossom from night frosts by having a piece of fleece handy to throw over it if any is forecast.

Dig out or treat with weed killer the weeds that have sprung up in the pathways.

Begin harvesting rhubarb stems. The young ones will be at their most tender now.

Pinch out the tips of fuchsia cuttings taken last autumn once they reach a height of six inches. This will keep them bushy and produce more flowers.

POSTSCRIPT

Tune in to 95FM, BBC Radio Cleveland's 'Ask about Gardening' every Sunday from 12-2pm, presented by Brigid Press, to hear more horticultural chat, tips and questions.

Questions for Brigid to answer in The Northern Echo should be sent to brigidpress@hotmail. com or to her c/o Nature's World, Ladgate Lane, Acklam, Middlesbrough.

Published: 24/04/2004