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Q – Could the panel recommend a variety of outdoor tomato that is blight resistant and will ripen early?

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Bob – The summers are making it trickier.Ìý Blight-resistant varieties include ‘Histon Cropper’ and ‘Ferline’.Ìý Small ones like ‘Gardener’s Delight’ produce fruit before blight sets in. Same with the Italian crop varieties.

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Eric – ‘Tumbling Tom’ in hanging baskets produce a good crop

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Pippa – ‘Ferline’ was a waste of time for me. ‘Crimson Crush’ did well but it isn’t the tastiest. ‘Sakura’ is one of my favourite medium-sized ones.Ìý Keep the plants well spaced and never water from above.

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Q – I’ve had a grapevine for many years which produces lots of rods but never grapes.Ìý What can I do?

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Bob – What you’re doing is cutting off the fruiting wood each year! Grapevines only fruit out of last year’s wood so make sure you don’t cut that back.

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Q – Could you tell me if Hydrangeas should be deadheaded and, if so, at what time of year?

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Chris – In simple terms, yes you can.Ìý If you have the Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) then you can prune back hard.Ìý The larger, shrubbier ones you need to be a bit more careful with and only prune back shoots that have flowered and only by one-third.Ìý Thirdly, the big mop-headed ones, you should prune back to 10-15cm (4-6inches) above ground.

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Q – Could you recommend a small- to medium-sized tree for my front drive?

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Pippa – Malus or Crabapples.Ìý

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Bob – Elderberries.Ìý Or if you’ve got room try a Mulberry.

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Chris – Sorbus hupehensis. Clematis macropetala climbing up through it.Ìý Try a multi-stem shrub like a Viburnum lantana.Ìý Amalanchier canadensis.Ìý You could try Mespilus germanica.

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Q – I have a tree peony that’s over six feet (1.8m) in height. How can I prune it?

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Chris – I advise not to prune tree peonies; they do tend to struggle. ÌýPlants like ‘Molly the Witch’ is so vigorous so you can prune that but if it’s a newer cultivar I would be wary.Ìý Don’t prune it all in one go.Ìý Start by taking one-third of the plant and reducing that by two-thirds.Ìý Then do a different third next year and so on.Ìý You could use metal loops to bring the plants down to eye-level.Ìý Do it just after it’s finished flowering.

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Q – Can sub-soil ever be brought back to life?

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Bob – Not much is going to grow in sub-soil. If you mix it into a vegetable bed it will take two or three years to mix in.Ìý But at that point the mineral value would be good.Ìý Roses love clay so you can put your sub-soil around your roses.Ìý You could put thin layers into your compost.Ìý

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Q – We bought a Pyracantha four years ago and planted in on a north-facing wall where a previous plant had thrived for forty years.Ìý This one isn’t doing so well; why?

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Pippa – Give it plenty of sulphate of potash and apply that to the soil every couple of weeks.Ìý

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Bob – It could be Bullfinches. They are very good at attacking buds!Ìý

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Chris – I would be tempted to lift this plant into a different position and replace it with something that likes a north-facing environment.Ìý Like a Hydrangea petiolaris, or schizophragma, or Rosa maigold.

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Q – Do you have wildlife-friendly hedging suggestions to replace Leylandii?

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Bob – Leylandii are great for ladybirds.Ìý I would sow things like nasturtiums for now and then leave it until autumn.Ìý

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Pippa – Any classic native hedges would be good. Things like Hawthorns, Viburnum opulus, (the Guelder rose), sloe, wild roses.Ìý

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Chris – Make the hedge as wide as possible and don’t prune it too severely.Ìý Prepare the ground this season.Ìý Then do two staggered rows of planting.Ìý Put Prunus spinosa in, Sambucus nigra, Corylus avellana, a few Filberts.Ìý You want to create hierarchies within the hedge.Ìý Throw in a few Cretaegus (not monogynum) laevigata is a better variety.Ìý Pierce the hedge with trees like Damsons and Bullis.Ìý Scramblers like Rosa canina, the native Clematis and a few Humulus (hops) would be great.