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Q1 – We are surrounded by pony and cow manure and I wondered how best we can use that in our gardens and which plants is it best for?

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Pippa –It is fundamentally brilliant as long as you have allowed it to rot down.

Particularly if you want to grow something that is a leafy crop – also be wary of something which is prone to rust such as leeks.

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Chris – Think of it as a product not only to improve plants but also to improve the livelihood of the compost heap. If you have new landscape and you want it to look aged then fresh cow or horse manure is fantastic. If you collect a barrow load of it then fill the barrow up with water, soot and some top soil and let it steep overnight and then it will become a tea-colour with a water paste consistency. You can then get a mason paint brush and scrub it onto the wall and in a month or so it will grow moss and algae and it will help it all age.

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Q2 – 20 years ago I rescued this plant from a school where I worked, and this summer it flowered for the first time. What is this plant and how should I care for it?

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Christine – It is Epiphyllium. It is a night flowering succulent, which is why you haven’t seen it, and it only lasts a day. It can get up to 30 foot (9m) in height and spread to 20 foot (6m) in time.

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Q3- I planted an Olive tree (Olea Europaea) around six years ago. It was very slow to grow at first but last winter’s rain and this year’s warmth has made it suddenly grow in all directions. Can I prune it hard into a good shape and when should I do that if I can?

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Chris – They grow where they can get access to water.

You can get it to perform all manner of shapes and functions in the garden, so picture what you want it to do first and that will direct how you go about the pruning process. But you can be reassured that you can prune olives really hard. You can prune it back to a trunk and it will burst with life again.

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Q4 – I have a pond in my garden approximately 23 foot (7m) by 15 foot (4.5m), half of which is covered in beautiful water lilies which flower. The leaves are being eaten by the lily beetle larvae. Any suggestions for treatment?

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Christine – There isn’t an insecticide that you can whip into any water. If you can get to the stage where you see the larvae on the leaf, you can stand with an extremely forceful hosepipe and you ping them off with a forceful jet of water.

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Chris – If and when you go about the process of relining the pond put a little bit of subsoil in and you will find that the whole ecosystem of the pond is vastly improved and this sort of thing is then reduced.

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Peter – keep on squishing seems to be the message Ìý

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Q5 – I have run out of space in the garden, but I want to plant a Philadelphus and I want to plant it in a pot because we have ran out of any other area. What do you recommend?

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Christine – You can do it in a container but it must be a decent size - about half a barrel not a plant pot.

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Chris –There are dwarfs forms which are OK – but they don’t have the grandeur and the fragrance.

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Pippa – it is important to use compost with a decent bit of oomph to it so it has a greater chance of keeping it going otherwise it will look miserable relatively quickly.Ìý It likes moisture but wants decent drainage.

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Q6 – We recently brought a small Agapanthus which is still in its small pot. Some of the leaves are turning yellow to white at the tips and we wondered why is this and what should we do about it?

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Pippa – I think it is a bit miserable, I doubt it is anything serious. It is more likely that it is having a grump, as soon as you get it out the little pot the better. It is hard to keep something happy in a tiny container.

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Chris – Agapanthus like to be pot bound. I would go back to your supplier and buy another dozen and cram them all into one very large pot so you simulate them being overcrowded but in a much richer compost. You will then get the best of both worlds which is the plant is able to exist in a larger environment which is much more settled but it is still constrained so you will promote flowers.

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Christine – It will need an awful lot more water than you will ever think.

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Q7 – I ordered a Coronilla glauca Citrina plant from a mail order nursery. It arrived last week looking rather sad – what should I do with it?

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Pippa – It needs very little moisture or else it will be over-watered causing the roots to die.

ÌýChris – I would cut back by two thirds. And then give it protection – don’t plant it out this year. And repot it into a soil-based compost with 50% organic matter.

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Q8 – I hate water features. Are ponds in a pot the way to go?

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Christine – ponds in pots are a way forward if you haven’t got space. However they are very restrictive in what they can do. So my answer to your question is get a life and go out and see more water features.

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Pippa- even your pot above ground may not bring in wildlife but it will still bring in moisture and damselfies and birds.

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