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Q 鈥� I鈥檓 opening my garden to the public in May/June next year and need some quick tips!听 I have a new border to plant in, it鈥檚 in a shady position, and some other gaps in the sun.听 The garden is south facing, soil is clay, and neutral to acid.

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Bob 鈥� Invest in half-a-dozen garden vases, fill them with bedding plants, grow them in full sun 鈥� then move them the day before people come round!!

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Pippa 鈥� Things like Alliums come I nto flower around that time, things such as 鈥渓ove lies bleeding鈥� (Amaranthus caudatus).听 Don鈥檛 forget foliage too 鈥� it鈥檚 much more reliable that flowers.听 So herbaceous geraniums or heucheras or tiarellas or lamiums.

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Q 鈥� 30 years ago I bought a house with a large south-facing garden on the edge of the New Forest.听 I planted mainly shrubs but now, instead of lots of healthy trees, most of them get to a fair size and then die.听 I suspect it鈥檚 to do with the heavy wet clay soil.听 Was I wrong to plan so far ahead? And how long can I suspect my replacements to last? Recent plantings include Philadelphus, Hydrangea, and Rhododendron鈥�

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Matt 鈥� If you鈥檙e on clay soil you should expect the Philadelphus to do ok, the Hydrangeas don鈥檛 mind it wet but won鈥檛 like it if it gets too dry, and the Rhododendron like those conditions 鈥� so you may be ok.听 Don鈥檛 worry about any deaths; don鈥檛 think too far ahead, the excitement is now!

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Q 鈥� I have several interesting Hydrangeas, I鈥檇 like to know how to preserve the flowers after cutting.

Bob 鈥� You can pack them in dried bran/oats in a box and that sucks the moisture out of them.听 Or you put them in pure water 鈥� in an upside-down vase if you will 鈥� maybe with a tiny splash of bleach and that can keep them for weeks.

Pippa 鈥� people also do interesting things with borax and glycerin to preserve flowers 鈥� and they can look lovely.

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Q 鈥� The UN declared 2015 the 鈥榠nternational year of soils鈥� 鈥� half the topsoil on our planet has been lost in the last 150 years and it can take 1000 years to create 1cm (0.4inches)鈥� what should we be doing, as gardeners, to save our soils?

Bob 鈥� Don鈥檛 have bare soil because it blows away.听 Keep soil covered with heavy mulches or grass clippings.听 Or, better, grow things in it!听 The roots hold the soil together and the foliage protects it from wind and sun.听

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Matt 鈥� Create terracing to prevent too much water runoff taking soil with it

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Q 鈥� My lawn border of Alchemilla mollis seriously encroaches the lawn 鈥� could the panel please suggest some upright plants which are not so invasive?

Bob 鈥� You could put in a mowing edge 鈥� a series of slabs/tiles laid flat 鈥� between the edge of the lawn and the border.听 You get a straight line and the plants can鈥檛 get close enough to the lawn to do any damage.

Pippa 鈥� If you want to replant 鈥� if you plant a bit further back and regularly clip them you鈥檒l find you can keep it under control.听 Try chives alternating with sage.听

Matt 鈥� Make a small path over the border 鈥� it separates the two and gives you a nice walkway to do your gardening and to appreciate the plants

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Q 鈥� I have some apple trees which have canker 鈥� how can I treat this or do I need to dig them up and start again?

Pippa 鈥� It鈥檚 a fungal problem which causes sunken patches on the bark and then concentric rings of flakiness.听 A little bit doesn鈥檛 matter but a lot can damage it.听 Try and cut off/prune out any cankered areas sooner rather than later.听 Make sure any cankered areas are completely removed.听 I wouldn鈥檛 recommend using wound treatments or anything like that.

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Q 鈥� I made a mistake ten years ago when I planted a Daphne bholua 鈥楯acqueline Postill too close a path鈥� can I move it, cut it back, or just keep dodging round it?

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Bob 鈥� It will die if you move it! Keep dodging.听 Daphnes are very particular so I鈥檇 try and leave it alone as much as possible.听 Plant some others maybe 鈥� the Daphne odora 鈥楢ureomarginata鈥� is the standard 鈥� and the toughest 鈥� but try tangutica, retusa, they are smaller and squatter with lovely scents.听 Probably the best would be burkwoodii hybrids 鈥� the 鈥楽omerset鈥� and 鈥楽omerset Gold Edge鈥�.听听