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Q: When I moved into my home about 4 years ago, there was a willow tree in the front garden. It's now huge, unmanageable and is exploding rather than weeping! Last year I pruned the tree back quite harshly, only to find it even more rigorous this year.
What should I do to tame this exploding monster? If you suggest pruning, when should I do this?
(Ms. H. Rowan)
A: Pruning the tree is the right idea. However, to keep it a reasonable size, you'll probably have to prune it every year. The best time to prune it is during the winter when the branches are bare of leaves. If the branches are a nice colour, leave the pruning until about March so that you can enjoy the colourful branches during the winter. If the branches are nothing special, you can prune anytime from late November to March.
If you prune the tree down to a very short stump near the ground, it will produce bushier growth. If you leave a trunk to the tree, it will have more of a standard tree shape. When you prune it each year, prune as close to the stump as possible, leaving a few buds on each branch.
If you visit the Factsheet section of the website, you can view a video clip that demonstrates how to pollard a willow tree. It is listed under Factsheet 2, 2007 - Pruning and Pollarding.
Q: I have a mature apple tree in a flower bed. What plants would you recommend that would thrive under the tree ?
(I. Gale)
A: To be honest, it is best not to plant anything directly under the tree, as there is less water and nutrients in such a position.
However, there is also a school of thought that companion plants should be planted under apple trees to help attract pollinators in the spring and ward off pests while the fruit forms. Chives are meant to help prevent scab, Nastursiums are meant to ward off wooly aphid, and Wallflowers are good for attracting pollinators. French Marigolds are also beneficial for attracting pollinators and deterring aphids. However, most of these plants are annuals or short lived perennials.
I have also seen an older garden with a small orchard and they used Doronicum 'Little Leo' (produces a yellow, daisy-like flower) beneath their apples.
If you decide to plant under the tree, be careful of the root system and do
not plant right up against the trunk.
Q: I recently listened to a discussion on local radio about planting seed potatoes in the greenhouse for use at Christmas. Any ideas of a local supplier??
(Dr. J. Curry)
A: As far as I know, you can do this using any potatoes - seed potatoes are ususally just the smaller potatoes and are saved for the next years' crop. It would be best to get some fresh potatoes from a farmer or market garden, but you can probably get good results from potatoes purchased at the grocery store as well.
Put the potatoes in the fridge for a couple of days (this confuses them into thinking they have over wintered already). Plant into a large bucket and cover with a little soil, as they grow up earth them up some more and continue to do so until the pot is full. Hopefully this will give you new potatoes for Christmas.
Q: I have come to gardening late in life and have not unfortunately too much time to wait! I want to create a dark, mysterious, sort of country Victorian, drive-way that we knew in our youth.The area I need to plant is lime soil. West facing. Under some very mature high sycamores, which will allow light because of their height but I suppose there will be problems with their roots taking all the moisture?
What can I plant that will grow quickly under the circumstances? As I
mentioned I want a slightly over grown Victorian look rather than a neat
suburban look and there is lots of space.
(Ms. H. Cowdy)
A: You could plant laurel under the sycamore trees, but they won't give you much colour. Rather than planting R. ponticum, you could look out for another species or variety that will grow to a good size (no other Rhododendron are known to be as invasive as R. ponticum). However, if you have an alkaline soil, the Rhododendron will not do as well.
Some shrubs that can cope with lime conditions and can help give you a sprawling garden include:
Forsythia
Philadelphus
Syringa (lilac)
Buddleia
Fuchsia
Ceaonthus (look for upright varieties like C. 'Skylark'
To help the shrubs get a good start under the trees, be sure to dig a good planting hole and add in some compost. Water each plant in well. Another idea to help achieve the overgrown look more quickly is to plant climbers up a few of your Sycamore trees - look for climbers that will grow to at least 20 feet. Some suggestions are:
Lonicera (honeysuckle)
Rosa 'Rambling Rector' (vigorous)
Clematis montana (vigorous)
If you plant climbers to grow up a tree, you might need to tie on some plastic mesh to help the climber get established. Again, be sure to put some good compost or manure into the planting hole and water in well.
Q: I have a variegated aspidistra plant which I began to feed and water but now it has started to revert to green. Can I bring it back to the variegated form or is it too late? I read recently that if you feed them they will revert. I would like to keep the variegation as it is rarer.
(Mrs. R. Mulchrone)
A: If a variegated plant starts to revert to green, cut out the reverted parts (green parts) if possible so that the variegated parts can get all the energy. If you wait too long to do this, then the reversion will take over and the plant will no longer look variegated.
Q: I have an apple tree, pear tree and a victoria plum tree in my back garden, the plum and pear tree have started to drop the fruit this past 10 days, could you please tell me why.
(Mr. I. Petrie)
A: At this time of year (mid-summer), fruit trees often thin themselves naturally. On apple trees, this is referred to as 'June drop'. You should still have some fruit left on the tree, and might even need to thin more depending on the crop. June-drop allows the remaining fruit to have more room and energy to grow to a good size.
Q: I was enquiring about my Magnolia tree which was planted 13 years ago and so far has not flowered although healthy enough looking.
(Mr. S. Andrews)
A: Your Magnolia tree might be a type (M. campbellii) that doesn't flower until it is mature - that could be up to 20 years old. If that is the case, there is not much you can do but wait patiently (though it will be worth the wait when it does finally flower).
Q: I bought a few alpines and some grasses over Easter. How often do they need to be watered once in pots?
(Mrs. L. Stewart)
A:
Watering containers is really down to checking on them on a regular
basis and can change throughout the year. The amount of water that your
alpines and grasses will need will be somewhat variable, and will also
be affected by their position in the garden and the type of container
they are in. Terracotta containers lose water more quickly than glazed
or plastic containers. Check the containers at least once a week, and
more often when the weather is very hot and/or dry. The alpines should
be in a gritty compost with a layer of grit or gravel around them for
mulch so that water does not sit around the plant.
Q: I was wondering about the correct way to prune a beech hedge. Do you cut it back in the first year like you would an escallonia, and then again a few times the second year, or do you let it grow to the desired height and then start prunning it?
(E. Moran)
A: To prune a new beech hedge, only lightly prune the side branches - mainly only those that are sticking way out. Do not prune the tops. Each year, prune the sides of the hedge only, and allow the top to grow to the height you want. However, if the hedge puts on leggy growth one year, it is okay to prune any part of it (sides or top), although it will slow the hedge reaching the height/width you want. The point of pruning is to encourage the plants to form bushier growth, giving a thick hedge.
There is usually no need to prune a new hedge in its first year (assuming the plants are young). By the second year it should be well enough established to take more pruning. The best time to prune a beech hedge is in late summer.
Q: I have a high, long, sloping bank that is very wet and muddy and hard to dig. Can I do anything to improve the drainage? What low ground covers can be planted on this bank?
(Mr. D. Robinson)
A: To solve the drainage issue, a lot depends on just how steep the bank is, and what the area surrounding the slope is like. If the slope itself is quite wet, I would imagine that the area above the slope is causing the problem. If it is quite steep, one option is to terrace it into two or three levels (more if necessary). Terracing makes it much easier to plant up and get access to the plants. You can also put drainage into the base of each level. If the slope is not too steep, you can just plant it up with various ground cover plants, but put a drain in along the slope before planting. Some examples of ground covers are: Juniperus conferta or J. 'Blue Star', Gaultheria, Pachysandra terminalis, Heathers, Euonymus 'Emerald n Gold' or 'Emerald Gaiety', Vinca. If the drains help solve the problem, then you could expand the plant choices to include a few small shrubs as well for more structure.
Q: Can you give advice on species of oxygenating plants to increase oxygen levels in a pond?
(Mr. M. McGivern)
A: Any garden centre that sells aquatic plants should carry a few oxygenators. Oxygenators tend to grow quickly, so you only need to start with a small amount. A few plants that are recommended by the RHS for oxygenating a pond are: Lagarosiphon major (syn. Elodea crispa), Ceratophyllum demersum, Potamogeton crispus, Menta cervina and Egeria densa.
Q: An Aunt in Co. Tyrone has some self seeded crab apple seedlings which are now a couple of feet tall. If they were to be transplanted would they eventually be fertile and form fruit?
(Mr G Emerson)
A: Yes, if the crab apple seedlings are transplanted, they should eventually produce fruit. However, because they are seedlings, you can only wait and see what the fruit will be like. Seedling variability in apples can affect everything from amount of fruit to colour of fruit. But give your plants a chance, because they could turn out even better than the parent plant. To transplant the seedlings, wait until they are dormant (usually between November - March) when they will not suffer as much shock from being moved.
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