Pots and Borders FAQs
I have a lovely Canna lily 'China Lady'. I have kept it in the pond with the top of the pot just under the water and it has flourished. How do I protect it during the winter. Could I put it in a bucket of water wrapped in fleece in the greenhouse?
We have been invaded by a very small blue beetle which we think is a flea beetle (Altica lythri). It is devastating our fuchsias. Can you advise on treatment to try to save those not too badly affected?
My question relates to the autumn, winter and spring seasons.Should I expect to be watering container plants in dry winters or do they "go to sleep" and not require any care?
I have powdery mildew on a tobacco plant. I have sprayed it. Is there anything I can do?
I planted winter flowering pansies during the last week of October and they seem very reluctant to flower. What have I done wrong and is there anything I can do to make them flower now?
Every year my Nasturtiums are attacked by caterpillars. I don't want to use chemicals so what can I do to avoid it? I only notice when I see the eggs on the leaves.
I have 2 double impatiens and the flower buds are consistently dropping, whether they are open or closed. I have sprayed them with a pesticide and they seem to be okay for a while, then the problem starts again.
I am going to plant a tub in the village for the first time this year. We have decided to use plants that require less water than the usual pot plants and I wonder if you can make some suggestions as to good plants to use?
Please can you tell me what flowers I can put in a planter on my Nan's grave? I have put lots of different ones, the latest being pansies and mini carnations but the slugs eat them.
I have Solomon's Seal and last year it was destroyed by sawfly. What can I do to avoid this happening again?
We have an Acer bush/shrub, about two and a half feet high in a tub. Now the leaves, which have five points, seem to be shriveling and dying. We put it in the shade, and have been covering it in fleece as the sun comes around, without success.
I have heard that there is now a yellow flowered Geranium. Is it any good and where can I get one?
My greenhouse is full to bursting with bedding plants and I want to get them planted out. Do you think it is safe to put them out in my borders now? [April]
Having saved my carnation plants from last season, how do I prepare them for this year. Do I give them a haircut or leave them alone?
What can I do with Verbena bonariensis at this time of year? [February]
We are moving to a garden which has heavy clay soil and we have not had this type of soil before can you give us ideas on planting? The site is exposed also and we would like to create some shelter.
I have a lovely Canna lily 'China Lady'. I have kept it in the pond with the top of the pot just under the water and it has flourished. How do I protect it during the winter. Could I put it in a bucket of water wrapped in fleece in the greenhouse?
What you are proposing may work but I would expect the leaves to die back, largely as a result of shortening day-length and poorer light quality. If you had some heat it might keep actively growing. Remove dead leaves to prevent rots. Ventilate the greenhouse to get good air circulation on mild days. It is quite natural for this plant to die back to a rootstock in winter.
We have been invaded by a very small blue beetle which we think is a flea beetle (Altica lythri). It is devastating our fuchsias. Can you advise on treatment to try to save those not too badly affected?
We have had an attack of these too [and I'm impressed you have identified it even with the Latin name!]. We used Decis [deltamethrin] to control it but this isn't available to amateur gardeners. I suggest that you try an old remedy such as Derris Liquid or Dust as this is generally effective against this type of pest. Provado Bug Killer may be effective too. We have stock of all these. Just picking the weevils off is unlikely to be successful as there are usually lots of larvae present too
My question relates to the autumn, winter and spring seasons.Should I expect to be watering container plants in dry winters or do they "go to sleep" and not require any care?
Container grown plants will need water out of the summer season but their needs will reduce as they become dormant and lose their leaves. Even after that they should be kept moist [not wet]. Push your finger into the soil to check that it is moist and water if it isn't. Don't be afraid to knock the plants out of their pots and look at the rootball to check that it is getting an even watering. This is especially important if they are allowed to get very dry at any time. You will be surprised at how often water will just run thought the compost and out the drainage hole without wetting all the rootball properly. Take care when trying to do this with large heavy pots.
I have powdery mildew on a tobacco plant. I have sprayed it. Is there anything I can do?
The mildew on you tobacco plant is more likely to be Downey Mildew and that is tougher to control. Often it is best to destroy infected plants to prevent the disease getting established in your garden. This mildew has appeared and become a problem with Nicotiana in recent years and is very difficult to control. Dithane 945 sprayed on the underside of the leaves as well as the tops may be the best spray to use. We have had great success controlling downey mildews and other difficult to control diseases by regular application of a micro-feed we brew called Compost Tea. Incidentally, there are many downey mildews and each tends to only attack a narrow range of plants, so don't feel that all will be doomed as soon as you see it appear! We stock all the above products although compost tea is only available as a fresh brew from us. Click on the Compost Tea tab on our menu for lots more information on this micro feed.
I planted winter flowering pansies during the last week of October and they seem very reluctant to flower. What have I done wrong and is there anything I can do to make them flower now?
It is very important to plant winter flowering pansies early in the autumn. With the prolonged mild autumns that we have been having we are all inclined to hang on until the first frost has killed the summer bedding plants before removing them. Consequently, the pansies are going in later and later and don?t get a chance to get going before winter arrives.
Every year my Nasturtiums are attacked by caterpillars. I don't want to use chemicals so what can I do to avoid it? I only notice when I see the eggs on the leaves.
There is a non chemical treatment available called Just Caterpillar Killer. This is a biological control. We can supply these. These are usually the same caterpillar that attacks the cabbage family and you can use the same control method. Another year, you may wish to protect your plants from this by regularly spraying them with Organic Garlic Barrier which we can also supply.
I have 2 double impatiens and the flower buds are consistently dropping, whether they are open or closed. I have sprayed them with a pesticide and they seem to be okay for a while, then the problem starts again.
This is a regular trait of these double-flowered varieties and it is more a physiological problem than any pest or disease. They can get red spider mite so check for this. These are tiny and only just visible with the naked eye and not particularly red, unlike the harmless masonry mite that many mistake for this pest. I think that these double varieties like it cooler than the regular varieties so try them in some shade and never let them dry out. Keep them growing in a larger pot than perhaps you normally would. We have not stocked any this year for the first time and have tried so many different strains over the years and they all suffered the same fate.
I am going to plant a tub in the village for the first time this year. We have decided to use plants that require less water than the usual pot plants and I wonder if you can make some suggestions as to good plants to use?
What a great idea to plant something for your whole community to enjoy! Suitable plants would include Pelargoniums, Trailing Pelargoniums, Helichrysum petiolatum [grey, yellow or variegated trailing foliage], Gazanias, Cordyline [for a central focal plant], Sedums and Osteospermum. All are easy. I hope this gives you a few ideas!
Please can you tell me what flowers I can put in a planter on my Nan's grave? I have put lots of different ones, the latest being pansies and mini carnations but the slugs eat them.
In isolation slugs and snails will eat plants that are not on their 'A' list for taste and in a graveyard they may not have so much to choose from. However, I suggest you try Diascias, Marguerites, Campanulas, Gazanias, Nemesia Confetti and Pelargoniums (Geraniums). Most of these will give you lots of flower through until autumn. The best slug killer around at the moment (and the safest too) appears to be 'Growing Success Advanced Slug Killer' and the beauty of this one is that eventually it turns into nutrients that feed your plants!
I have Solomon's Seal and last year it was destroyed by sawfly. What can I do to avoid this happening again?
Solomons Seal sawfly can decimate the leaves rapidly and snails often get the blame. The caterpillars have a voracious appetite, like the sawfly that attacks gooseberries, but are easily picked off or sprayed with a product such as Scotts Bug Clear. It helps to hoe around the base of the plants because the pupae overwinter there and birds will then eat the grubs for you.
We have an Acer bush/shrub, about two and a half feet high in a tub. Now the leaves, which have five points, seem to be shriveling and dying. We put it in the shade, and have been covering it in fleece as the sun comes around, without success.
It sounds as if you are doing the right things to avoid the leaves of your maple becoming any more scorched in the sun. If it is a young plant, it could be that it is not yet well enough established and that in a year or two this will not happen. I trust that the rootball hasn't dried out at any time? I hope that there isn't vine weevil feeding on the stem base and/or roots? [white grubs about 1-2cm long with brown heads]. If you see these, soak the pot with Provado Vine Weevil killer or send off for nematode predators - we can do this for you. Don't be tempted to give it any feed until it recovers, because that could make things worse if the roots are struggling. They grow with very little feed any way.
I have heard that there is now a yellow flowered Geranium. Is it any good and where can I get one?
There is indeed a yellow flowered geranium and it has been launched in 2006, It is called ?Guernsey Flair? and is a Zonal type. This is claimed to be a major breakthrough in plant breeding but unfortunately I haven?t seen it perform yet so I withhold judgment. It is claimed to be early and free flowering and the colour is lemon yellow. At over a tenner for 6 small plug plants I guess it will remain a novelty for a while. I hope it turns out better than the first blue rose!
My greenhouse is full to bursting with bedding plants and I want to get them planted out. Do you think it is safe to put them out in my borders now? [April]
Its? almost safe to plant your tender bedding out, and if you live in a big city like Bristol or garden near the sea you probably could get away with it but I reckon it is better to wait another week or two to be on the safe side. Make sure that tender annuals are acclimatised to being outside by ?hardening them off? for a week to ten days before leaving them outside at night. Always keep an eye on the forecast and have some horticultural fleece ready to cover them if the weatherman predicts frost. Some of the half hardy varieties such as Stocks, Antirrhinums and even Lobelia will cope with a little frost without protection, so you can plant these. Whatever you do don?t forget to provide protection from slugs and snails.
Having saved my carnation plants from last season, how do I prepare them for this year. Do I give them a haircut or leave them alone?
I assume that your Carnations are grown inside a greenhouse or at least with some protection from frost. I would recommend that you cut them back now and try to encourage some new shoots. Don't cut them back too hard as they will be reluctant to shoot from old woody areas of the plant. When you have new shoots of about 6-8 cm long, snap these off at a node [a swelling of the stem where a pair of leaves begin]. Trim the base with a sharp knife after removing these leaves and either root these cuttings in a glass of water or in a pot filled with 50% Perlite or Vermiculite and 50% potting compost. Do this on a bright windowsill and cover the top of the cuttings with a thin small polythene bag to reduce water loss until new roots form. When rooted, carefully pot them up individually and plant your new plants out to start afresh. The old plants can then be discarded as they will not be as vigorous as your new ones. This is worth doing annually with carnations unless your stock gets infected with virus, in which case you must destroy all your stock and buy in new. Carnations can be grown from seed but in my view you will get the best blooms from those produced from cuttings.
What can I do with Verbena bonariensis at this time of year? [February]
Verbena bonariensis can look very scruffy at this time of the year so it is best cut back to 15-20 cms from the ground. Cutting back too hard can kill them and don't be in too much of a hurry to clean up around the base of the plant as often it will produce masses of seedlings which can be transplanted or traded with friends for other plants.
We are moving to a garden which has heavy clay soil and we have not had this type of soil before can you give us ideas on planting? The site is exposed also and we would like to create some shelter.
Try varieties from Weigela, Berberis, Cotoneaster, Viburnum, Prunus, Crataegus, Elaeagnus, Photinia, Bamboo, Acer, hollies, willows, Aucuba, Abelia, Escallonia, Hypericum, Forsythia, Mahonia, Philadelphus, Pyracantha, Spirea and more! These should give you shelter and be decorative.