Ask IN-EX

Dear Teresa,

Lavenders need to be cut back now.  Cut off the flower heads and the top half of the stems but you must not cut into any old wood because they will not grow back.  I find shears or scissors useful tools to do this.

Fuchsias can be cut back in March.  Cut out any dead, damaged or diseased stems and any that are crossing over.  Then cut the whole bush back to about 6" from the ground.

As for the budlias, they should be trimmed around Easter time, cut back to knee height. 

I wouldn't worry too much though, they are very tough.

Good Luck!

18.06.2009
Hi,
One half on my garden gets full sun the other is very shady. Which sort of plants grow well in shade?, I want to avoid Hostas as the slugs seem to get them. I do like plants that flower and have more than enough conifers!! Thank you, Paula.

20.04.2009
Hello,
I am planning to plant a mini herb garden, but part of it is in partial shade. can you give me some possible plants for the area?

The following herbs would do well in a shady area: Angelica, Parsley, Chives, Lemon Balm and Mint. Water them regularly if the area is also dry. You may want to put the mint in a pot and sink it into the ground as it can be very invasive. Good Luck!

18.03.2009
I'm looking for a good grass seed for my lawn that does not contain rye grass.
Any tips?
Regards, Dawn Gibson.

Hi Dawn,
Johnson’s ‘Luxury Lawn’ is a fine grass seed that doesn’t contain rye grass and would be a good option. It covers up to 42 sqm and retails at £17.30.

Begin by raking your lawn to remove any moss. Cover with a fine layer of topsoil and firm down. Sow the grass seed and finish with another fine layer of topsoil. Water in. Fertilise after May.


I have had a problem with my carrots this year. They never became edible vegetables and basically went to seed. The roots were all about half an inch and the green tops about two feet long. Help, Pete

Well Pete,
If the roots are small and the tops are long, that means the carrots have dried out, there is too much nitrogen in the soil or your carrots are too close together. What fertilisers are you using? Tell the garden centre and they can recommend the best type. When planting carrots, it is a good idea to thin out the seedlings and keep them well watered, a V-shaped trench can help and it  keeps the water in.

I am proud of my fruiting cherry, but my Dad has told me it needs to be pruned. Can I prune it or not? It is a large tree that has been there for years, I’m confused.
Thanks, Hal.

Hi Hal,
Cherries won’t recover from hard pruning but should be pruned on a regular basis when the wood is young. If you want to reduce the tree, take it to a junction with a branch so it doesn’t look like a severed limb. Cherries are a stone fruit and they should all be pruned in the growing season, to avoid bacterial infection. I recommend you should wait and do it straight after flowering.

We used to have a big robinia tree in our back garden. We recently removed it, but can now see into our neighbours’ garden and don’t like this. Can you recommend something else?     

This is always a tricky situation, but I’m not sure how much a robinia could have hidden. Why don’t you try a shrub, as these are better for blocking purposes? Witch hazel might be a good idea and if you choose Jelena or Diane, you will get colour in autumn as well as flowers in winter. You could also try crab apples, which blossom in spring and fruit in winter and the nice bushy growth will block out your unsightly neighbours.  

I would suggest a smaller tree, that would give you plenty of privacy, like a battondieri, which is semi-evergreen and has a beautiful yellow pineapple flower, with silvery leaves. Or I might suggest a nice fruit tree, with a small root stock. Ask your garden centre for guidance on root stocks.

I hear a lot about feeding plants and I am confused by all the different types of feed. What should I be feeding them in summer, if anything? James

Hi James,
It is important to feed your plants at this time of year and I would recommend using liquid feeds for all your shrubs, which contain slow release fertilisers. Also use liquid feeds for your bedding plants. Don’t forget to de-head the dead flowers on these bedding plants, as the goodness goes into the ground, along with the slow release fertilisers, which can last for up to six months. Water your plants daily, if possible, and if you have tomatoes, feed them with something that has a high potassium ash content, which you can also use on struggling bedding plants. Tomato feed is also ideal for any bedding plants and I would recommend Tomrite or Nutri Tomato Feed.    

We would like to grow our own vegetables in the small bed we have in our garden. As students, we would like to plant something in September/October that we can harvest before we move out next June. We know nothing about gardening and have not got much space. What would be your suggestion?
Jane, Bournemouth.

You will want to make the most of what will be hopefully warm ground and the lessening levels of light, but there is plenty that will flourish if you introduce plug plants. Winter greens, cabbages and kale are great, though it might be a little late to expect much of broccoli. Salad leaves that grow quickly and herbs such as rocket, chicory, endive, mint and parsley are also worth giving a go, if you buy some cloches. Good luck gardening.

I would like to grow my own Rocket and don’t know whether to go for wild or cultivated. What do you suggest?
Sally.

The only answer to this is to go wild. The taste of wild rocket is much better, crisper and hotter. The way to tell them apart, is that the cultivated rocket has off-white flowers and the wild rocket, yellow.