Q.    
Hi: Being recently retired I would like to spend some time in the garden this summer. I would like to put a 1" cover of something over my lawn & flowerbeds to spruce them up. Would you suggest what combination of material I should use? Also, should I use a pointed shovel to turn over the ground before I add the cover? Is there a publication that I could receive on general gardening and gardening hints and tips?
Many thanks, Peter

A.    
You can cover fresh dug ground with black polythene if you wish to warm up the dirt, but any existing grass or plants you must cover with garden fleece. Garden fleece is transparent and porous, allowing the light in and excess moisture out. Do not use clear plastic, this keeps the moisture in and rots the plants. There are many gardening books for beginners at bookstores or your local garden outlet.

Q.    
Hello, I have a large WISTERIA growing in my back yard. I didn't even realize it was a wisteria until it bloomed this spring. In the meantime, it has grown up and into a large oak tree, along with some ENGLISH IVY that was planted by the previous owner. I have been told that the ivy would not injure the tree.

My question is whether the wisteria will injure or choke the tree. It already has large trunks of itself wrapped up and around the trunk of the tree and up into the higher branches. We live in Oklahoma, and like to preserve any trees we can.

Since I now know that the plant is wisteria, I plan to put in some kind of arbour or support for it and get it off of the fence it also grows on. Should I try to remove it from the tree too? Thank you in advance for any advice you may have.
LD in Oklahoma

A.    
A climbing plant in a host tree is all right as long as it is kept under control. The host tree needs sunlight and air to survive, a wisteria or ivy can choke off a tree and kill it, just by totally covering the leaves of the tree and restricting the supply of sunlight and oxygen. Also the weight of the climber can snap off branches. So it is best to cut out any of the wisteria or ivy that may seem to be causing distress to the tree and then try to strike a happy balance between the needs of the tree and the climbing plants.

Q.    
Is there any type of ground cover that will grow under pine trees (bottom branches are about 8 - 10 feet from the ground)?
Thanks Sheila

A.    
Suitable plants for your purpose are as follows; Vinca, Ferns, Gentian, Primrose, Smilacina, Omphalodes, Ajuga, Astilbe, Heuchera, Pulmanaria, Violas. Hosta. Heather's, Ivy, Pieris, Hydrangea, Iris, Foxgloves, Lilies. Polygonatum (Solomon's seal); Mecanopsis cambrica; Meadow cranesbill; Alliums; Lamium maculatum;

Q.    
I have a large rock wall in my back yard and I would love it if could get moss to grow on portions of it (My rear yard is very shady and moss already grows on the brick path and patio brick found there). Is there something I can do to help the process along?
Thanks, Deb, Boston, Mass

A.    
Buy some cow manure, water it down slightly and brush it on to the desired area. Let it dry out, do not brush off and the moss will soon appear on the dry manure. A bit mucky I know but it works.

Q.    
I would like to know what type of soil, fertilizer and whether it likes sun or shade for a eucalyptus tree in east Texas Thank-You

A.    
Your EUCALYPTUS likes plenty of high potash fertiliser and as much sunshine as you can throw at it.

Q.    
Hi Valecroft,
I am hoping you can help me with some advice on established PRIVIT HEDGES. My wife and I were hoping to plant a hedge wall to help screen our back yard from the neighbor's messy yard. I remembered the hedges at my grandmother's house that have been there forever. Every spring my father would cut them down to about 18" and by summer's end they would be back up to 3 to 4 feet and very full. These hedges were deciduous and non-thorn bearing, I were told they were privet hedges.

Knowing this information, I planted a line of four 6-foot privets 4 years ago that I cut down in half and then keep trimming them to promote bushiness. They have taken root very well, and have built a good bushy base. However, they don't seem to be growing vertically as fast as I had planned. Now four years into this, my wife wants be to pull them out and plant something that grows faster.

Why is it that the privet hedges my grandmother had would double in size each summer after being cut, but when I cut my privets, they seem to take forever to gain height? Can I do anything to help them grow vertically?
Thanks. Glenn.

A.    
Whatever your grandmother had in her garden it was certainly not ordinary privet, privet will not grow that fast and it is semi-evergreen. Allow the privet to grow to the desired height and then lightly trim, twice a year. If the plants are so healthy it seems a shame to dig them up. Valecroft Nurseries.

Q.    
Hi, can you help? We moved to our new home last august there is a MAGNOLIA BUSH on the lawn about 5 feet tall, last season the buds never opened out and rotted, this year they have partially opened, but some are brown and the tips of the leaves look burnt. I am watering it regularly and have applied feed to the surface. Any ideas?
Thank you. Keith

A.    
This is a classic case of the soil being too alkaline; soil needs to be acid for magnolia. Spread a generous amount of garden peat around the tree and feed with an acid fertiliser, as for heathers.

Q.    
We live in Michigan in the Detroit area. We would like information on growing Tomatoes in pots or tubs. What kind, when to plant and how to care for.
Thanks. H and W

A.    
There are many varieties of tomato now available for growing in tubs; they are usually grouped under the label Patio Tomatoes. These are dwarf bush or trailing. You can grow the full size tomato in a tub but you need a firm support for the canes, a sunny wall for example.

Tomatoes need plenty of water and plenty of feed, use a specialist tomato fertiliser, use fresh compost to avoid disease problems. Do not leave out at night until the danger of frost has passed. Water on a regular basis, irregular watering will cause the fruit too split.

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Q.    
Hi, We have GRAPE VINES that we planted about three years ago and never got around to trellising them. They are still alive but are growing horizontally all over the place. Is there any way we can get them back under control? Since it is spring, is it too late to cut them back and how much of the plant do we cut back?
Thanks, Grizzerwal

A.    
It is too late this year to cut back your grape vines, Jan, Feb, is the time. Pruning now would introduce disease into the plants. Next winter cut the vines back by 90%, and then train the new shoots up a trellis. The following years trim out any side shoots near the base, in order to give each main shoot plenty of light and air.

Q.    
Our dwarf rhododendrons, sorry not exactly sure of variety, flowered the first year we planted them (2000) but have not flowered since. The flower buds are there and the bushes are in good condition.

We've also checked the ph of the soil. What are we doing wrong. Situated in reasonably good soil in partial shade on land above Loch Leven near Kinross in Scotland. Help please?
Many thanks, Malcolm

A.    
This could be a case of the soil being too alkaline; soil needs to be acid for the rhododendron. Spread a generous amount of garden peat around the bushes, rhododendron are forest floor plants and have fine surface root systems which will root into the peat. A mulch of rotting vegetation will also help to keep the roots damp. Feed with an acid fertiliser, as for heathers.

Q.    
4 years ago I bought a CAMELLIA in a pot, which was in flower. Due to the fact that it kept being blown over in the wind, I planted it in my garden (which may not have particularly acidic soil).

The leaves look healthy and the plant appears to be thriving but it has not flowered for the past 2 years!! Any ideas why, or any tips on how to encourage some blooms? I would be very grateful for any advice.
Thanks in anticipation... Gill

A.    
This could be a case of the soil still being too alkaline; soil needs to be acid for the camellia. Spread a generous amount of garden peat around the bushes, a mulch of farmyard manure would also help to keep the roots damp, which helps. Feed with an acid fertiliser, as for heathers.

Camellias should not be planted where they are exposed to the morning sun. In winter the early morning sun thaws out the frozen buds too rapidly and results in the bud being damaged sometimes fatally.

Q.    
Dear Valecroft,
I need year-round, thick foliage to cover an ugly wall around a waterfall in my back yard. Unfortunately, there is no sunlight available as the area is dominated by big, tall trees that do not lose their leaves seasonally. I live in Southern California - in the San Fernando Valley (area: Northridge - zone 11? - I'm not sure) what is a fast growing climber that will grow in complete shade?

Also, I was delighted to see the photos of your Shires - such beautiful horses. Jessica

A.    
Hydrangea petiolaris, climbing hydrangea; Ivy angularis Aurea; Schizophragma integrifolium; Parthenocissus henryana; English ivy; Vitus vinifera purpurea; Jasmine officinale:
Glad you liked the Shires. Valecroft.

Q.    
Hello,
We have moved into recently a house that has a hedging of Leylandii (Yellow). It has been two years now and we have kept them to about 5 1/2 feet in height. However in the middle of the hedgerow two have seemed to have died as they have gone brown and the needles are dropping off. We have now bought two new replacements and are asking advice how to plant them so that they do not die! Also could you explain why the previous two died? We have used weed and feed quite close to the hedge could this be the problem?
Regards, David.

A.    
Using weed and feed close to the Leylandii is not advisable. The most likely cause of your trouble is lack of garden lime (gypsum), golden LEYLANDII need an application of lime every other year to keep the soil alkaline and to keep the gold colour.

Q.    
I'm wondering about rabbit manure for compost for my garden. I do keep a compost pile and I read about all kinds of manure, but nothing about rabbits. I have several rabbits now and want to know if the manure would help or if the urine is too strong. Any advice would greatly help. Thank you. Loosie

A.    
Rabbit manure will be fine for your crops; the one downside is that the smell of the rabbit manure will attract wild rabbits to eat your crops.

Q.    
We just recently acquired a garden plot that already had an ASPARAGUS bed and rhubarb patch on it. The asparagus bed was badly overgrown with grass and weeds, which we thinned out five days ago. We gently prodded the soil a bit being careful with regard to any shoots that might be sprouting up or the roots as well. Then we watered the bed really well and left it over the weekend.

Today (Wed.) we went back to our plot and noticed that quite a few asparagus have popped up through the soil, however, the weeds grew back as well. In researching a few library books I found the weed that appears to be just what we have in our asparagus bed, the "couch weed". We would like to rid the bed of this weed and also make the bed healthier. Do you have any advice for us? It would be greatly appreciated.

My thought was possibly mulching with a light dusting of hay over the bed and around the stalks of asparagus that are now shooting up. Will this prevent them from growing or poking through the soil? Also is there any weed killer that we could use that won't harm the asparagus itself? Many thanks for any information you might be able to provide us with.
Sincerely, Suzie and Ken.

A.    
There are sprays for couch grass, they act on the root, or rhizome to give it its correct name, unfortunately the spray will also attack the asparagus roots. The best plan is to dig up the asparagus in the fall (autumn), prepare a new bed free of couch grass roots and plant again. There are many, contact only, sprays available to kill broad leaf weeds; these are applied just before the emergence of the asparagus spears
Valecroft Nurseries.

PAGE 3. APRIL GARDENING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

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