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Q – Can the panel recommend a tree or shrub that can be grown in a container on a balcony that gets direct sun and occasional salty wind?

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Anne – We’ve used Pittosporums to shelter other plants that get hit by the wind.Ìý Dwarf Pines, Dwarf Lilac grow beneath them

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Bob – Holm Oak would be the most reliable.Ìý Put bulbs underneath for colour

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Anne - ÌýThere is the smaller-leaved Pittosporum tenuifolium and the larger-leaved Pittosporum tobira.Ìý

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Q – How long do soil treatments last – they don’t have a sell-by-date?

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Bob – If they are unopened they should last indefinitely.Ìý Once opened fertilisers will absorb carbon dioxide and moisture but it will still have fertility value.

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Pippa – Keep them in cool, dry locations they will last longer

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Bob – Blood Fish and Bone you need to keep away from rodents

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Q – What use might I make of a Mare’s Tail infestation?

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Anne – We’re talking about Equisetums here.Ìý The Romans and Victorians used to use it to scour pans and bathtubs.Ìý

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Bob – It is a good fertiliser too.Ìý The Hippurus Ìýis the proper Mare’s Tail.Ìý It is not the same as Horse’s Tail.Ìý

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Anne – My husband creates a bit of Jurassic feel to the driveway by using Equisetum hyemale (the rough Mare’s Tail) which is often called the ‘Lego Plant’

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Bob – Nettles outgrow and shade it out so if you’re happy with lots of nettles do that instead!

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Q – When we acquired our house thirty years ago came with a 50ft-wide (15.25m) fig tree strapped to the front of the house.Ìý One third has started to become a bit lacklustre.Ìý What might be happening?

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Bob – It could be nutrient deficiency as it is so old.Ìý Give it potassium, magnesium and iron rather than nitrogen.Ìý

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Anne – We had some cold nights in the spring and that could have added to the stunting

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Pippa – It could be a viral infection

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Q – Is there any added value to using the water from my fish tanks?

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Pippa – It will have a high nutrient level – it’s what causes algal blooms in ponds.Ìý I wouldn’t want to use it on anything edible nor in a container.Ìý General flowerbeds should be fine.

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Bob – I put goldfish in my water butts to keep mosquito levels down.

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Anne – Might as well

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Q – My sweet peas are suffering from buds dropping or withering on the stems.Ìý What’s happening?

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Anne – I suspect the soil isn’t conditioned enough or under-watered.Ìý Or an aphid attack

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Bob – Sweet peas can actually grow in a water butt! Which shows how much water they need

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Q – We have an orchard that’s overgrown with brambles – should we scythe or strim it? And how do we stop the brambles coming back?

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Pippa – I don’t think you need to keep the trunk clear

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Bob – That’s true of established trees – with new trees (up to five years) you need to keep it clear because of the small root system

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Anne – When I added a plum I used a 6ft (2m) circle to get it established

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Bob – A strimmer won’t work on a bramble.Ìý Nor a scythe.Ìý Use secateurs in the winter.Ìý Brambles are very good for wildlife though.

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Eric – I have a fancy lightweight Austrian scythe which is brilliant – you do need to learn how to sharpen it though

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Q – My Cotoneaster is covered with a web that I think is produced by a moth.Ìý What should I do?

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Pippa – You see a similar thing on Hawthorns.Ìý It is produced by a moth – it is used as protection.Ìý You can use insecticides or you can manually clear it away and then use nematodes.Ìý I would cover up and wear goggles to avoid getting any of it on you.Ìý Brown-tail moths in particular can bring you out in a very bad rash, cause temporary blindness, bring on asthma attacks

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Anne – I would leave it and then prune once the caterpillars have pupated

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ÌýQ – I have a forty-year old, fifteen-feet tall Myrtle tree.Ìý Can I move it?

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Bob – I wouldn’t move it. If you have to then definitely reduce it first. ÌýYou could layer it.

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Q – We have a problem with badgers digging holes in the garden.Ìý We are looking for animal-friendly ways of deterring them please

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Pippa – The only solution is to make your garden less appealing, so it’s a lose-lose.Ìý You could try and entice them to one area to distract them – you will find them near bird feeders especially if there are peanuts involved

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Q – A squirrel planted a walnut in my garden and now I have a new tree.Ìý Will it be worth growing if it is not grafted?

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Anne – It would take longer to flower and fruit. They are better when not alone.

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Bob – Move it before it gets too big as they can cause problems.Ìý I had a bed with one of my favourite plants, the Dictamnus, in it.Ìý I didn’t clear the walnut leaves properly and the residue from them has stunted the growth of these Dictamnus.

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Q – If you had to make a garden out of weeds what would you plant?

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Pippa – Herb Robert is a favourite weed/wildflower

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Anne – Pink Campion and the Oxeye Daisies

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Eric – Buttercups

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Anne – Chickweed you can put in salads

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Bob – I would create a 20-ft Leylandii wall with a chair in the middle