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Q – I accidentally watered a rose bush with weed killer. It’s bravely fighting back.Ìý Should I cosset it or dig it up?

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Christine – Dig it out and start again

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Bunny – Depends what weed killer it was but it sounds like it’s badly damaged – start again

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Q – Can I use rabbit pellets as fertilizer?

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Bunny – If you give them a rich diet then they will burn the lawn.Ìý I’d water where they’ve been to dilute the area and then put the droppings on the flowerbeds.

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Bob – I’d put them on the compost

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Q – What type of hops should I grow? For both brewing taste and aesthetics.

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Bob – You need female hops.Ìý Seeds spoil the fermentation.Ìý Specialist hops are essential – not wild or ornamental.Ìý

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Bunny – Contact the national collection of hops – they’ll be able to advise on your local climate/soil etc.Ìý I grow ‘Golden Hop’ – very easy and quite attractive (but no good for beer making).Ìý

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Bob – Beware – they do grow tall!

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Q – I have a ten-year-old brown fig that crops very heavily but I can’t make it into a tree shape.Ìý Any advice?

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Bunny – It’s probably ‘Brown Turkey’.Ìý

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Bob – They do grow vigorously.Ìý Cut out the long shoots that are long-jointed (big gap between the leaves) as they don’t fruit and just tend to grow and grow.Ìý Leave the short-jointed bits.Ìý Keep any fertilizers away.

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Q – We have a small, triangular, south-west-facing garden.Ìý Suggestions for fast-growing screens?

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Bob – Kerrier – it can get 5-8ft depending on how rich the soil is.

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Christine – Pleached trees.Ìý An evergreen like a Filaria.

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Q – When we talk about ‘acid loving’ plants are they actually acid loving or are they lime hating?

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Bob – Both.Ìý Ericaceous plants are the main group we consider acid loving.Ìý

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Christine – The big problem is the lock up of phosphorous in the soil

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Bunny – You can get sulphur pastilles to reduce the pH of your soil.Ìý I’m on pH 8 so would never do things like Rhododendrons or Azaleas – but things like Blueberries are fine.Ìý

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Q – I’ve been growing small apple trees in containers for a few years and they’re all a bit unhappy.Ìý Are there organic things I can do to improve their condition?

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Bob – There not too bad.Ìý You need to water regularly with rain water.Ìý I use liquid feeds and the start of the year I’d use a top dressing (a handful of blood fish and bone meal) too.Ìý Capsids could be making the small marks.

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Christine – I think you’ve got a problem with water pressure – that’s what causing the marks.

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Bunny – These patio apples are very popular at the moment – they’re grown on an M-27 dwarf stock.Ìý I’d take the bottom off the pots and let them grow down into the soil.

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Bob – You also need to thin out the fruits a bit so they’re well spaced

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Q – What makes a good front garden?

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Christine – Diversity, lots of colour, tidiness.Ìý

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Bob – Neat and tidy.Ìý

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Bunny – Be interesting. Grow vegetables if you like!

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Q – I planted a silver birch tree and it’s now taller than my house. I’ve got to cut it down so what should I replace it with?

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Bunny – Chop it down but let it grow back as a multi-stem.Ìý

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Christine – Amalanchier ‘Obelisk’ snowy something or other

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Bob – Juniperus ‘S°ì²â°ù´Ç³¦°ì±ð³Ù’

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