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Q – I have an Aspidistra that I want to put in the garden; can I?

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Pippa – I wouldn’t

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Matt – You might be able to put it in a sheltered corner

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Q – I have a four-foot ‘Indian Bean Tree’ (Catalpa bignonioides) – can I keep it in a pot?

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Bob – You can grow almost anything in a pot if you tend to it.Ìý Trees often aren’t very happy though.Ìý

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Pippa – It won’t fruit/flower in a pot

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Q – How do you get plants to grow in wall crevices?

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Pippa – Houseleeks (Sempervivums) did well for me.Ìý

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Matt – Campanulas will trail (eg portenschlagiana)Ìý also Corydalis lutea if there’s enough moisture

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Bob – Anything that starts with the name ‘wall’. Wall flowers, wall germanders, wall cress.Ìý

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Q – I have recently taken up floristry and wonder what the panel would recommend for greenery?

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Matt – Depends on the style.Ìý Ivies or Cubas or Pittosporums. Euonymous. Rosemary.Ìý ‘Globe Thistle’ (Echinops bannaticus).Ìý Eryngium.Ìý Hollies.Ìý

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Bob – I use ferns.Ìý Asparagus sometimes.Ìý

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Q – I am planting my front garden in a Prairie style. Can you suggest ideas for the hedging please?

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Bob – Lavender could be good.Ìý Not an old one like Hidcote but a new big one.Ìý

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Pippa – Hebes or rosemary.Ìý Potentillas.Ìý

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Eric – Cloud-pruned Gorse

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Bob – Or the dwarf Gorse (Ulex minor)

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Bob – Pampas grass

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Q – All the plants at the far end of my garden have become covered in white flecks – what is going on?

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Pippa – Aphids are the cause of this.Ìý The white flecks are the cast skins of the aphids.Ìý It’s not a problem for the plants though.

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Q – Every year I grow the Cup and Saucer Vine (Cobaea scandens) and every year I get a handful of flowers just before frost comes.Ìý How can I get it to flower earlier?Ìý

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Matt – Starting in February and putting it out at 3ft (0.9m) it should be fine.Ìý I would feed it with sulphate of potash from mid-summer.

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Bob – Wait till mid-June to put it out – that will help

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Q – I used to keep my roses in pots as my garden was north-facing.Ìý Now I’m south-facing I’ve planted them out but I’m struggling with rust.Ìý What should I do?

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Pippa – Some roses are more susceptible to rust than others.Ìý Try and improve the situation for the rose.Ìý Cut out early rusting bits.Ìý And improve circulation around the plant.Ìý

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Matt – Wash the secateurs after pruning so as to avoid spreading rust further

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Q – We have a large church garden and we want to be more green/eco-friendly. What can we do?

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Bob – Grow your grass at different lengths as this will attract different types of birds and wildlife.Ìý Bird boxes and bird baths too.Ìý

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Matt – Hawthorn as a nesting site for birds.Ìý Nettles are good for butterflies and caterpillars.Ìý Don’t keep it so immaculate.Ìý A pond if you can.ÌýÌý