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Q – I have a fuchsia that’s large and woody.Ìý Should I move it, leave it and then prune it, or move it and prune it at the same time?Ìý It’s a metre high by a metre wide (3.25ft x 3.25ft)

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Pippa – I would cut it back a little bit before moving it.

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Matthew – Give it a haircut and then look after it then move it

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James – Prune it at the same time that you move it.Ìý This is probably the standard Fushcia magellanica.

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Q – We put some Dicksonia antarctica in last year and they’re looking really shabby now.Ìý Should I cut the old fronds back, like a deciduous fern, or should I leave them?

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Matthew – Like with Cordyline leaves you need to leave them a bit before they look less shabby.Ìý Make sure you look after the growing tip.Ìý

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Q – I’m starting a new raspberry bed.Ìý First to go in is ‘Malling Minerva’.Ìý The plot is 5m x 2m (16.5ft x 6.5ft)and the soil is neutral/alkaline and quite heavy.Ìý How should I prepare the soil?

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Pippa – I have similar soil and do better with autumn varieties.Ìý Make sure there is good drainage, lots of organic matter, you could incorporate composted bracken too.

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James – There is a North American species called Rubus occidentalis (Black Raspberry), Gelncoe cross.Ìý

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Q – I have a very small front garden (5m x 7m or 16.5ft x 23ft) which is north-facing with chalky soil and no sun.Ìý What can I plant in it?

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Matthew – Trachycarpus.Ìý Bergenia ‘Eden’s Magic Giant’.Ìý Hosta.Ìý With mulch and a feed your chalky soil should be manageable.Ìý Try a Chilean evergreen fern called Blechnum chilense.Ìý

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James – Try Dicksonia tree ferns and plant Epiphytes onto the trunks.Ìý Things like the native Asplenium (Heart’s Tongue fern), or Asplenium trichomanes.Ìý Saxifraga stolonifera.Ìý ‘Mind-Your-Own-Business’. Ìý

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Feature:

Miscanthus

Panicums

Pennisetums

Carex

Juncus

Nassella (formerly Stipa tenuissima)

Hakonechloa

Anemanthele

Hordeum

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James - Bamboos: Dulcis or edulus.

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Q – I have a Dawn Cypress tree in the garden which has a bald side.Ìý Can I pollard or prune it so it grows back to a better shape?

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Matthew – They are tolerant and can regenerate unlike the evergreen Cypress.Ìý

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Q – What can we do to humanely deter badgers from digging up the lawn?

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Pippa – They’re looking for food in the form of Leatherjackets and Chaffer grubs.Ìý So get rid of those.Ìý Use a nematode control in the soil.

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Matthew – Leave a small battery-powered radio on overnight and this will deter them

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Q – Could you suggest an organic solution to get rid of Vine Weevil?Ìý I’ve got them on my strawberries and Heucheras.

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Pippa - ÌýUse nematodes in the soil.Ìý Vine Weevils can’t fly or swim so stand your pots/planters up above a tray of water and they won’t be able to get in.

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