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Q – Can the panel recommend ways to stop pheasants picking off the heads of my plants?

Bunny – Make lots of noise to make your garden unattractive – works for Canada Geese

Matthew – Put a mirror in your garden and pheasants will get distracted by it

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Q – I planted a plum tree last year, it’s in blossom, should I expect fruit?

Christine – If it’s a small, young tree I wouldn’t recommend it.Ìý I’d take the flowers off and allow all the tree’s energy to go into root establishment

Matthew – Take the flowers off and give it a good water and feed.Ìý They need to establish roots in the first year.

Bunny – Keep the trunk clear of weeds etc too

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Q – I didn’t dig up my potatoes last year. They’re now sprouting.Ìý Should I take them out or leave them and try for a crop this year?

Matthew – No reason why you couldn’t get a crop this year.Ìý One issue might be reduced yield but I wouldn’t worry about it.

Bunny – I would dig them up.Ìý If you leave them they’ll clump and compete and end up being very tiny.Ìý Also, viruses are a problem. Lift them, give them away, sow some more.

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Q – The old Bramley Apple tree in my garden has become covered in moss – is it harmful?

Christine – No. Moss is very superficial. If it’s not affecting the fruit I wouldn’t worry.

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Q – I have boring but mature Laurels edging my garden. How do I replace them to get more colour and interest?Ìý It is mostly shaded and infested with conifers.

Bunny – People put Laurel in because it’s so fast-growing but the work you need to put in to keep it under control is mammoth.Ìý And they have cyanide in the stemmata so when you cut a load be careful! Something like a Taxus (Yew) hedge would be magnificent for green.Ìý You can maintain it however high you like it and you can control it quite easily.Ìý For colour a Rosa rugosa hedge would do it if it’s dappled shade. Mayflower is disease-resistant.Ìý But you could choose from 50 or 60 different types.

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Q – I have a walled kitchen garden with fruit trees on the walls.Ìý I understand it’s necessary to hand pollinate peaches which I do with an old shaving brush.Ìý Is it beneficial for other trees too?

Christine – Peaches, apricots, some people will try it on figs.Ìý To a large extent, it depends on if you’re having problems.Ìý If not, don’t worry.

Bunny – Sometimes it’s a good idea to thin to encourage them to grow bigger.Ìý A lot depends on what’s around them – at the moment I have lots of Comfrey near my fruit trees so the bees are out and about doing their job.

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Q – What’s your favourite garden apart from your own?

Bunny – Les Jardines Agapanthe, in France

Christine – Coleton Fishacre in Plymouth

Matthew – Ganna Walska Lotusland in Santa Barbara, CA

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Q – A friend of mine has been looking after a memorial oak tree in the village green.Ìý She believes it’s a Turkey Oak planted between ten and fifteen years ago.Ìý She was recommended to water it with a sugar solution.Ìý Is this really necessary?

Matthew – It’s a load of rubbish

Bunny – Put a coarse bark mulch around the base of the tree – about 50-100mm (2-4inches) – it will increase the oxygen in the soil and the microorganisms and it will boost the tree massively.

Matthew – Trees are essentially woodland plants – if you replicate that environment it will boost their healthÌý