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Q – Can you offer suggestions to which plants might do well in wellington boots?

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Matthew – Sedums or Sempervivums.Ìý You can make holes in the sides for things to grow through.Ìý Mediterranean sub shrubs.Ìý Herbs like thyme.Ìý

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Bunny – Rosemary.Ìý Ferns.Ìý Strawberry plants.Ìý

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Anne – Nasturtiums.Ìý Or a leek in one and a parsnip in the other.

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Q – I’ve been told I shouldn’t put lawn moss in the compost. Is this right or wrong?

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Bunny – It will rot down and be fine to put on beds

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Matthew – As long as it is green waste it’s fine

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Q – I grow my own peas and keep dried ones for the next year. Is this ok?

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Bunny – You can keep them for about two to three years before they weaken so good to refresh every so often.Ìý If I’m doing pea shoots or pea leaves I would buy marrow fat peas dried from the supermarket.Ìý

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Anne – Keep going whilst you’re getting good results

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Q – When should I prune my roses (living in the East Neuk of Fife)?

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Matthew – The plant should ideally be dormant but I’ve got a Rosa ‘Winchester Cathedral’ that just hasn’t stopped flowering!Ìý Don’t leave it too late but otherwise prune whenever you can.

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Bunny – Do it on a warm day so it’s enjoyable

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Q – We have an Actinidia deliciosa (a Kiwi plant) that’s been growing for five years with foliage but no fruit or flowers. Advice please.

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Anne – They can take a while to get established.Ìý Wait and give it a higher potash fertiliser.

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Q – I’ve got some Yew in clumps and hedges.Ìý They’ve gone a bit brown and not put on much growth – what should I do?

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Bunny – The browning could be a sort of transport shock. Let them get going again next year.Ìý It could be Phytophthora but I think it unlikely.

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Matthew – Use a liquid feed from April onwards to help with growth

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Bunny – Water them in dry periods

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Q – Am I ok not to cut back in autumn?

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Matthew – Absolutely fine – there’s no science to cutting back in autumn

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Q – I’ve brought back a Giant Redwood from California. How long do I have to wait until it reaches 100ft (30.5m)?

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Matthew – In the right conditions a Redwood can grow a metre a year (3.2ft)… but it has to be the right conditions!

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Anne – In your conditions it could take fifty years I’m afraid.Ìý Compost: 50/50 John Innes No2 and soilless compost and then mix that 3/1 with grit.Ìý But you’ve got a fight on your hands.

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