My Victoria plum tree produced its usual abundance of blossom, but this has not resulted in comparable fruiting. The tree is bearing less than a dozen fruits. What has gone wrong? W. Gray, Inchinnan
This is almost certainly the work of a late frost, which will have annihilated the emerging fruit. I have had a similar problem with my greengages, which have produced a very disappointing harvest this year Don’t worry about it. Let’s hope for a better season next year.
We have a young lemon tree, situated in a conservatory - temperatures can reach up to 45C - but lower due to all the rain we have had of late. It has not produced any fruit for us, despite regular watering and a lemon food, which is fed from a container pushed into the soil. There is a great deal of new growth towards the top of the plant, and has become a little “leggy”. Any suggestions on how to product fruit for our G&Ts would be much appreciated. Richard Barnes, Bedford
Lack of G&T fruit is a serious problem, and one I hope you will overcome soon. Citrus will produce fruit in lower temperatures than many imagine, but they need plenty of light. Sometimes even conservatories do not have enough light. Might that be the problem here? Another problem I have noticed with citrus in this country is that they are often over-watered, and despite being greedy plants they are sometimes over fed. I think you should ease back on the watering and lessen the feeding. It may be that your lemon is far too comfortable to bother with your pre-prandial needs.
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My sweet pea plants grew vigorously to 6 or 7ft, flowered briefly with very few flowers, then started to wilt and die. They were in good quality compost and not allowed to dry out, but were in a shady position. Peter Royles, Wetherby
Shade is hopeless for sweet peas, which need plenty of light as well as excellent air circulation. Is there any sign of a greyish colouration on the foliage? If so, this is powdery mildew and it is one of the problems contributing to their sad state. It is caused by bad air circulation, and at this end of the year there is not a lot you can do about it. Start afresh next year and give your sweet peas plenty of sun and space.
I was given some chilli pepper plants which have thrived and produced a good crop of green peppers, which are now about 2in long. I don’t know what is the best time to pick them, or quite what to do with them. If I leave them will they go red? When are they hottest to eat? Oliver Parkinson, Oxford
If you pick off the green fruits you will encourage more to appear. If you let them ripen on the plant you will end up with fewer chillies. Chillies can ripen to red, yellow, blue or black, and the heat of the peppers depends more on variety than ripeness, apart from ‘Hungarian Wax’ which gets hotter as it matures. ‘Habanera’ is very hot. They can be dried (threading them onto fine strings keeps them mould-free as well as making them look attractive) or preserved in oil.
I have been given some agaves, grown from seed and now with spiky leaves about seven inches long. What is the best way to care for them and to encourage growth? Is it true that they will flower once and then die? Jean Gillies, Lincoln
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They need to live in full sun, in standard cactus compost (ie, very free draining), and need to be watered during summer only. A couple of times during the growing season, give them a dose of low-nitrogen feed. Most species do indeed die after flowering, but they leave behind offsets which can be potted to become new plants.
I recently saw and fell in love with some giant dahlias (in pots and in wonderful colours). Can you recommend somewhere to buy the corms? Olivia Marks, Hampstead, London
Yes, aren’t they magnificent plants? I love them. I love the look of them and their odd smell like crushed, damp earth. There are many specialist growers, most of them excellent and one of the national collections is held by Winchester Growers Ltd (dahlias@wgltd.co.uk) in Cornwall. For a grower a little close to you, you could try Aylett Nurseries www.martex.co.uk/hta/aylett in Hertfordshire.
My compost heap appears to have given up. It does not rot. It is going nowhere. Henry Well, Glos
This summer’s dismal weather has slowed the composting process but there are ways in which you can get the best out of your slow-coach heap. It needs to have a good mix of material in layers so that no one type of material dominates. It needs to be moist but not wet and, ideally, it needs to be warm. Once working well a compost heap should generate its own heat. You should turn it regularly to allow air in and you might think about adding an accelerator. Urine is excellent, but for the squeamish plenty of commercial accelerators are also available.
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Three years ago I began a tropical-style garden with bananas and cannas much to my husband’s disapproval. He said that tropical gardens should remain in the tropics and that we should stick to rose gardens. Problem is that although my bananas have thrived (in pots - they go inside for the winter), the cannas have never really made it. The garden is sheltered and walled and, as far as I can make out, virtually frost free. What am I doing wrong? Name and address withheld
Tricky to say without knowing where you are in the country, but the fact that you say that the garden is virtually frost-free suggests to me that you may be leaving the rhizomes outside for winter. That’s OK if the garden really is frost-free, but if in any doubt I reckon it is worth lifting them as soon as the foliage discolours and then starting them next season under glass before putting them out. If you continue to leave them out, assuming the garden is frost-free, add a thick layer of leaves or straw to give added protection to the rhizomes. For more details about the cultivation and care of these plants, Ian Cooke, a National Collection holder, is the author of The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Cannas, published by David and Charles www.cookecannas.co.uk.
The north face of our new house is hideous (it is on the road side). Any suggestions? Elizabeth King, London
There are plenty of plants that will scramble up a north wall and add some leafy cheeriness to your house but you need to decide whether the fabric of the house is sturdy enough to support plants such as ivy and climbing hydrangea, which will bury their aerial roots in the facade. If not, you will have to create a supporting structure (trellis or wires for instance), and then you will be able to grow plants such as Jasminum nudiflorum, Forsythia, chaenomales and even one or two shade tolerant roses like Zephirine Drouhin, so long as the area is open as it probably is, given that it faces a road.
Our conservatory has been overrun by flies. They are disgusting. How do I get rid of them without harming the plants? Hailey Beeston, Lincoln
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You can try hanging up as many fly papers as you can tolerate. The flies will stick to the papers, ready for you to dispose of the whole lot. The alternative is to buy a chemical fly spray and use it when the conservatory is closed (not while any person or pet is inside). So long as the temperature inside the conservatory does not go too high while the doors are closed the plants should not be affected. All the same, I’d try the fly papers first.