³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

Q – ­My mum can’t keep any plants alive, what can she attempt to grow?

Ìý

Matthew – I would suggest air plants as they don’t need much looking after; they are similar to Spanish moss and can be hung well.

Ìý

James – You can grow them outdoors if you get the right species. They often die from overwatering. I recommend Scinadapsus pictus (Silver Pothos Vine) with heart-shaped leaves or a Hoya linearis which smells lovely.

Ìý

Q – I have troubles with deer in my garden even with a 6ft (1.8m) fence, what do you think I should do?

Ìý

Christine – I would raise the height of the fence.

Ìý

Matthew – They don’t normally eat Euphorbias (Spurges) but be careful as it can cause skin irritation. I grow Euphorbia mellifera (Honey spurge) which smells lovely. Also, Euphorbia characias wulfenii which is a tough and colletia paradoxa, which is a strong shrub.

Ìý

Q – What are plants that reflect our greatest English poets?

Ìý

Matthew – ‘Besom ling and teasel burrs’. You could have some wildflowers with teasels. If you want some ‘Besom ling’; that is heather.

Ìý

Eric – A drift of golden daffodils (Narcissus poeticus).

Ìý

James – You could populate the garden with plants specifically designed to attract hummingbirds. Things like petunias, monardas (Bee balm), fuchsias, salvias (Sage), lobelias and anything with a long tube and a red colouration is likely to be hummingbird-pollinated.

Ìý

Q – Can the panel recommend non-yellow climbers for a north-facing, clay soil garden?

Ìý

Christine – The smaller Clematis such as Clematis alpina and macropetala.

Ìý

James – Trachelospermum, it has evergreen leaves that go red in the winter and scented flowers in the summer. Also, passiflora caerulea or ‘Silly cow’ passion flower.

Ìý

Matthew – I would say roses, there are lots of climbing roses such as ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’, ‘Shropshire Lass’ and ‘White Cloud’.

Ìý

Q – What plants can I grow for bees that help them early and late in the season?

Ìý

Matthew – Daphne (Spruge laurels) such as ‘Jacqueline Postill’ and Chimonanthus praecox ‘wintersweet’.

Ìý

Christine – Scillas, puschkinias, anemones, the small ranunculus. Towards the end you can grow hesperanthas and cyclamens.

Ìý

Q – What plants can you recommend for pots outside my house that can withstand urine?

Ìý

James – Miscanthus ‘Silvergrass’ is very quick growing and should be able to handle it.

Ìý

Matthew – You could try a tall Camellia.

Ìý

Q – How can I encourage moss in my garden?

Ìý

James – if you encourage the moss over the lawn, you can grow hardy orchids and ferns on it.

Ìý

Matthew – Yoghurt and the water left over from boiling rice can encourage moss to grow on a wall as it is full of bacteria.

Ìý

Q – What can the team recommend to keep colour in my garden for as long as is possible into the autumn and winter?

Ìý

Matthew – I grow a white rose called Rosa ‘Winchester Cathedral’ and it will continue to flower until it has been frosted off. I have another called Rosa ‘Port Sunlight’ with great orange flowers. I would focus on the Asters which have a huge range of colours and the Rudbeckias such as ‘Henry Eilers’.

Ìý

James – I recommend bedding plants such as Begonias and Geraniums.Ìý