Q&A - Garden Tasks

Q. I have a small front garden approx. 8ft by 6ft laid to lawn with some small conifers and other shrubs around 2 sides. My idea is to replace the lawn with pebbles and plant it up with just a few well chosen plants. Do I need to remove the lawn, use weedkiller (it's mainly weeds anyway) or is there a better solution?

A. You should certainly kill off the grass and weeds or you will be in for a lot of work later. I would use RoundupGC (glphosate) which will kill most weeds completely within 3 weeks. This should be carried out between spring and autumn providing the grass and weeds are growing well. You should then level the area and put down a permeable membrane which lets water through but stops further weeds coming back before putting down at least 2.5cm (1") of gravel. You can cut cross slits in the membrane through which you can then plant you chosen plants.

Q. I am removing some old rose bushes from my garden. Do I need to do anything to the soil before replanting with any other plants?

A. Providing you are not replanting with roses or related plants such as Cotoneaster, Sorbus and Pryacantha you should not have any problems. However you should dig in plenty of organic matter such as well-rotted manure or compost and apply a general fertiliser.

Q. I would like to move an established cordyline to a different spot in my garden. The plant is 7feet tall and has been in the same spot for 5years and I would estimate it at 10yrs old.

A. Evergreen plants are best moved in the spring when the soil is warming up after the worst of the winter weather has passed. You will need to dig a trench around the roots at a distance of at least 60cm (2') and then excavate under then to a depth of about 1m (3'). You should then transplant into a prepared hole that is bigger that the rootball. Fill in around the plants roots with a mixture of soil, compost and fertiliser and water well. Keep well watered throughout the first growing season. As the plant is tall you may also need to support the trunk
with an angled stake.

Q. I have a magnolia tree of approximately 4ft and wonder if it is possible to move it to a more prominent position in the garden? I have tried to find out if it is possible to transplant it at this time of the year (December). It seems that it is OK but that they are difficult to transplant due to a wide root system. Have you any tips?

A. Providing you can lift the magnolia with the soil more or less intact around the roots the plant should move fine, although the autumn or spring is often the best time when the soil is warm and moist but the daytime temperatures are not too hot. You should thoroughly soak the soil around the plants the night before and then dig round them trying to ensure you have a rootball of about 60-90cm (2-3ft) diameter. The key to success is in the preparation of the ground and adding plenty of organic matter such as well-rotted compost. Be sure also to cut off any damaged roots.

Q. When can I take cuttings from Nemesia plants?

A. Take tip cuttings about 5cm in length in spring and summer and dip them in rooting powder before inserting them in a pot of cutting compost so that the leaves do not touch. Water well, allow to drain and put the pot in a propagator or cover with a plastic bag making sure it is not in contact with the leaves. Check regular for disease and hopefully roots will appear in a few weeks. Remove from the propagator or plastic bag and pot into individual pots. Keep in a protected spot until the plants roots have filled out the pot and the shoots have grown at least 5cm in length. Pinch the top out of the main shoot and side shoots to encourage bushy growth.

Q. How do I protect plants such as Palms etc from frost during winter months? Should they be tied up or not, covered perhaps?

A. Palms if they are the hardy types should only need protection during the coldest weather when temperatures drop below about 5 degrees Celsius (41 F) especially when combined with cold winds. A lot also depends on the part of the country you are in though. I assume the palms are growing in the ground and not in pots. You should mulch the soil around the root area with well rotted manure, compost, straw or bark to about 7.5cm (3") to help stop the roots freezing and then during cold weather tie the fronds up and wrap with straw and Hessian/fleece or bubble wrap. You should unwrap from time to time to let the air get to the plant to prevent any diseases building up.

Q. How and what do you pinch out of young plants to make them grow better as I always seem to break the tender plants.

A. Most bedding plants should not need pinching. Most seed raised bedding plants naturally produce side shoots to make them bushy. Our cutting raised young plants for containers and baskets have already been pinched to produce a bushy plant and should not generally need pinching again. If you do need to pinch the plants again all you need to do is pinch out the growing tip about just above the second or third set of leaves from the top. If the plants are soft then you can do this with your nails, otherwise a sharp pair of scissors or bypass secateurs will do the job.