主播大秀

In this postbag edition Peter Gibbs, Christine Walkden and Anne Swithinbank visit Bob Flowerdew's garden in Norfolk. They are joined by Sparsholt College's lecturer in horticulture, Rosie Yeomans.

As well as taking listeners' questions through post and email, the team head off into Bob's garden to talk about soil preparation and some of Bob's most recent trials and experiments including his double polytunnel.

Produced by Howard Shannon.
A Somethin' Else production for 主播大秀 Radio 4.

Questions answered in the programme:

Q: I garden in the Pennines at about 900 feet on heavy clay over millstone grit. What can I do about young trees that have been buried in snow for the last five days?
A: Provided it's lighter snow and not too heavy they should be OK. Leave the frost there as an insulation layer because the winds are the real issue that will damage the buds.

Q: I am getting married to Mr Meadow on 6th July 2013. We would love to grow our own meadow flowers for the day. Is this possible?
A: July 6th for this year may be difficult with such a late season. You could leave some patches of lawn to grow tall as this will start to give the appearance of a meadow. The Moon Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) will be in flower in June/July and are easy to seed. Poppies aren't really meadow flowers but are also very quick, especially the Shirley varieties that originate from the Papaver rhoeas. You may be best to just buy the plants though, rather than trying from seed!

Q: I have a potted Yucca plant which was repotted about four years ago into a twelve-inch pot. It has grown to around five-foot. The trunk has been cut at about twelve inches before I bought the plant. How can I control its growth as my kitchen is rapidly disappearing?
A: Cut it down to twelve inches again as it is a rapid-grower. Cut just before where it was before and you could even try rooting the top and grow two!

Q: I want to plant an attractive hedging-type shrub at the top of my garden to screen an ugly fence. What would you suggest for a fast-growing, colourful, hardy hedge?
A: The obvious thing to do is go for native species. Dogwood (Cornus), Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) together with a bit of Hawthorn (Crataegus). But every metre or so amongst that plant something more decorative like evergreen Mahonia or winter-flower Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) so that you get a mixed hedge, mostly native, very hardy, fast to grow.

Q: Why did my pond water turn purple and stagnant? There is no life in the pond apart from duckweed and one rush. It had a Eucalyptus tree growing beside it until two years ago. The previous tenant says chemicals were not used.
A: It is likely to be an algal problem which relates to oxygen content of the water. It would be best to clean out and start again and this is a good time of the year to do it.

Q: I can germinate seeds on my windowsill but they get to about 3/4 of an inch long, keel over and shrivel. I don't over-water them. I recently got my first greenhouse but thought it would be too cold in there. How can I get them to grow past germination?
A: They could be cooking on a sunny windowsill so you need to reduce the light-level. Dirty water or infected compost could cause the problem, which would be cured by using sterile seed compost. You should transplant them sooner, burying the seedling under good compost. It is OK to germinate on a windowsill but you need to manage the light and temperature correctly to avoid burning.

Q: I've created a small, secret garden at the rear of my town house - 12 by 12 metres square, south-facing. Unfortunately it's overlooked by one first-floor balcony that ruins my privacy. I'd like to grow one or two fruit trees as a walk-under canopy, but which rootstock should I use for a bare 6/7 foot trunk?
A: A grapevine would be better for quick height than a tree and is easier to control. You could use some ornamental rooftop trees that would provide a much-better cover than fruit trees, like Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) Medlar.

Q: We have recently moved to a house that backs onto the beach in Scotland. It has a flat-lawn garden with deep/dark soil with pebbles in abundance. Could you suggest plants for windy/salty conditions that provide a variety of shape and colour?
A: Griseinlia littoralis are ideal plants for this situation with thick, leathery dark-green leaves. Some of them are variegated with cream/oval leaf. Asparagus, Thrift and Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae) would grow well but without any shelter. Pampass grass (Cortaderia selloana), though unlikely, would also be effective. Evergreen Euonymus also might do well, along with Rosa rugosa 'Alba'.

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