Â鶹Éç

Q – We have a long south-facing drive, partly paved and partly lawn, on a busy road. Could you give suggestions for an edible hedge that would provide a low screen?

Bob – Gooseberries. There are 80/100 varieties available. They are not expensive and are relatively easy to look after.

Matthew – If you want to go exotic try Acca sellowiana or Feijoa sellowiana, the Pineapple Guava. 

Bunny – I would do a mixed hedge – gooseberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants – you can plant them quite close together. And some wild garlic at the base.

Q – When can you apply ash from a wood-burning stove on an allotment site, where shouldn’t you apply it, and do you need to let it stand for a while before you apply it?

Bob – It is best stored as it absorbs carbon dioxide and water from the air so it becomes slightly less fierce.  It is quite high in lime so avoid lime-hating plants like Rhododendrons or Azaleas – other than that almost everything will enjoy it.Things that need it most are old cooking apples and gooseberry bushes. Potatoes, tomatoes and onions also benefit. Don’t do it during the winter because it’ll wash away but any time during the growing season will be fine. You can also add it to your compost if you don’t want to apply it directly.

Q – I moved into a house with a very overgrown garden and over the past three years I’ve slowly cut back the foliage to reveal some really lovely, mature bushes – Rhododendron, Mahonia, Hebes and a Quince bush. Because of their size, they lean over and are quite leggy. How can I correct them and make them more attractive?

Bunny – Rough bark Rhododendron will respond to a heavy chopping back but watch out for being so brutal with the Hebes.  Quince bush – If it’s the small Chaenomeles – you can treat that like a hedge and be quite brutal. Ideally you’ll do this later on in the year.

Mahonia – fine to cut back quite brutally.

Matthew – after pruning make sure that you give the ground a really good feed with well-rotted organic matter and lots and lots of water.  

Q – I’ve always wanted to grow coriander but every time I have a go it goes to seed. How can I stop this?

Bunny – Depends on time of sowing – sow it in September and pick it over the winter.  Also, don’t move it – sow it where you want it.  If you sow it into plugs and then move it that checks its growth.

Bob – there are varieties that have been developed for the leaf but most varieties have been grown for the seed so that’s why they tend to bolt.  There are some hybrid varieties that are good for the leaf such as Cilantro. Be sure to use lots of water.

Q – I need some advice on the established asparagus and rhubarb growing in my allotment.  The allotment is being refurbished so I need to lift them – can they be grown in pots?  They would have to stay in the pots for one growing season, possibly a second.

Bob – Rhubarb will not be a problem.  I wouldn’t put it in a pot rather one of those plastic trugs.  But the asparagus won’t survive.

Q – In our area we have a lot of street planting boxes that are in very close proximity to exhaust fumes.  Shrubs survive quite well but are there any flowering plants that might like to live in them as well?

Matthew – It’s tough!  As much as the fumes from the exhaust it’s the heat too which causes a problem.  Something that springs to mind would be the Daylily (Hemerocallis) because the flowers only last 36hrs but there is a succession of them so you reduce the risk of them all getting frazzled.

Bunny – Lots of Alstroemerias would work – they can flower from April/May right through to the first frost. Canna iridiflora is a hardy one that could survive – flowers from July through to the frosts. Or a beautiful blue Clemitis durandii.

Bob – Let Aubrieta hang over the edges. Wall flowers are tough and show well.The easy option is to get a packet of Nasturtium seeds.

A beautiful vegetable garden created for the Â鶹Éç's Larkrise to Candleford