Your questions - answered!

Got a question you think Caroline can help you with? Let's stick to gardening and not get too philosophical, but get in touch. We'll do our best to answer as many as possible.

Contact Caroline at gardenstyleguides@wiley.com

Question:

Somebody I'm working for is pulling down some large Leylandii, and wants to create a flower where they were. Once the trees are felled do the roots need to be grinded (is that 'ground'?) or do the roots need to be removed? And how long after the root has gone could the bed be planted up?

Best wishes,

Andy

Reply:

Hi there,

You do need to grind out any larger roots and manually clear smaller ones - you need a depth of about 30-45 cm of good soil for a flower bed. Once the roots are gone the soil will be awful under old leylandii so you'll need to put in loads of soil improver then you can plant as soon as you like. It'll probably be acidic in the short run so I'd use mushroom compost to make it more alkaline (more like it's going to be in the long run, presuming it's somewhere near Cambridge).

Hope it helps,

Caro

Question:

I've got quite a shady small garden and want to create a little space that my children can hide in. I was thinking about bamboo, do you think it will work?

Ian

Reply:

Bamboo is evergreen and happy in shade and just right to make a den for children that doesn't visually jump out too much. Bamboos are either clumpers or spreaders - make sure you choose a clumper so it doesn't take over the whole garden. Something like fargesia nitida would be great - it has leaves all the way down to the ground so will hide the little ones. The fancy black bamboos are lovely but the leaves are sparse for the first few feet so won't hide the children.

The other one to think about would be willow to make the den with, they are more malleable then bamboo - so you can tie them into all sorts of shapes, although they are deciduous so not so good if you want the kids to be able to play outside in winter. If you're quick you can order willow stems on the internet now (put 'living willow stems' into the search engine)and pop them in the ground. You can make a tunnel, a den or even a dragon!. Willow will be fine in most ground but keep them watered in the first year so the stems root well and get established.

Question:

I've seen things in the press lately about patio heaters being bad for the environment. I want to make the most of my garden in the spring and autumn, but don't want to be irresponsible - are there any more eco-friendly alternatives?

Sarah

Reply:

Patio heater are really bad news for the environment. I'd go for firepits or braziers depending on your style. The internet is a great place to start looking. www.rawgarden.com do a range of modern firepits, but one of the most stylish ones I saw in a garden was just an old-fashioned, down-to-earth brazier to feed with sticks from the garden. If you're doing a major re-design of your garden think about an outside fireplace - they can look amazing!

Question:

Hello Caroline,

I live by the sea and we have a small raised flower bed which is dotted with various perennials. Our soil is in great condition and very rich. Our neighbour has a eucalyptus tree which drops leaves over the bed creating pockets of damp soggy soil and leaves. When I stir the leaves lots of little insects leap around and search for darkness, they bounce like grass hoppers. I would say they were fleas except they are quite large (The size of an ants head) and they don't seem to bite me. Out of curiosity do you know what they are and whether they are doing any harm to the plants?

Mark

Reply:

Hi there,

Without seeing the insects I can't be sure what they are but there is a problem here with the eucalyptus leaves creating unhealthy areas in your garden. If it was my garden I'd think about cutting back any overhanging branches. Ask your neighbour first if it's OK to do it, but you are allowed to cut any matter that is overhanging your boundary. Cutting back overhanging branches will stop most of the leaves falling on your garden and should open up the ground to more sunshine and light.