Facebook Questions and Answers for the 8th April 2011

Hello Facebook fans, thanks for your questions this week, here are Carly's replies:

Stephanie Andrews

I am living abroad and have just bought a blue bird of paradise. It looks like a banana tree at the moment. Can you tell me how long it will take to produce flowers?

Hi Stephanie, it sounds like you have a Strelitzia nicolai which is one of the taller Bird of Paradise - often looking similar to banana plants. Plants normally need to be about 3-5 years old to start blooming. Even after this time they will only bloom when conditions are favourable. They originate from tropical areas so require warmth and plenty of light to bloom. Allow the soil to dry out between watering so your plant isn't sitting in soggy soil. It is also worth feeding your bird of paradise in late winter/early spring with a high potash fertiliser to encourage flowering. Good luck Stephanie, let us know how you get on.

Heidi Bence

Afternoon, I hope this finds you well. Yet another question! We have been given a silver birch, it is about 45cm high. We would love to have this in our front garden, but are concerned it will grow to big. Would planting it in a large pot.../tube restrict it's growth? Or is their another way? Thank you very much, Heidi.

Hi Heidi, you are right to be concerned as most Silver Birch trees will eventually reach a height of about 25m. It would be fine in a container for a number of years but would eventually start to decline in health and suffer from a lack of root space. Ideally it should be planted in the ground. If there is another spot in the garden which will accommodate a large tree then this would be the best option, leaving space for a smaller tree in the front garden. Good small trees include Mountain Ash/Rowan (Sorbus), Crab Apple (Malus), Japanese Maple (Acer), Cherry trees (Prunus) and Laburnum. I hope this helps Heidi.

Diana Hills

Can you suggest some suitable shrubs that can deal with a windy Coastal location? Really looking for intersting/unusual shrubs for colour and attractive to wildlife, like fuchsias but dislike conifers,holly or privets, thank you.

Hi Diana, there are a number of shrubs which will thrive in these conditions and also attract wildlife. You could try Berberis darwinii which produces masses of orange flowers in April and May. Choisya ternata (Mexican Orange Blossom) is another evergreen shrub with fragrant white flowers in the spring, and often again in late summer or autumn. There is an unusual cultivar called 'Sundance' which has yellow leaves although this cultivar doesn't flower as profusely. Varieties of Cistus (Rock Rose) produce beautiful flowers in early summer and have evergreen foliage. For a smaller shrub you could always grow lavender, which is adored by bees. Fuchsia magellanica will work well in a coastal garden and provides some late-summer nectar for the bees. Another floriferous shrub to try would be Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and its cultivars. For a more unusual shrub try growing Sambucus racemosa (Red-berried Elder) which has cultivars with a variety of leaf colours, or Colutea arborescens (Bladder Senna) which has yellow pea-like flowers. Other good shrubs to grow include Weigela florida , Hebe, Escallonia, Buddleja davidii (very attractive to butterflies), Buddleja globosa, Lavatera (Mallow), Viburnum tinus and Rosa rugosa. I hope this gives you some ideas to start!

Mary O' Donovan

Can you suggest some plants to attract butterflies that are not too expensive & that are hardy

Hi Mary, you could try growing Aubrieta , Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis), Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber), Aster, Phlox . It is also worth thinking about the position of your plants too - butterflies love warm sheltered areas and will settle around your plants for longer if given these conditions. Good luck with your butterfly garden Mary!

Nick Hamilton

Hi, any ideas for keeping cats away from freshly dug areas of the garden? Thanks nick

Hi Nick, I have found the most effective method with my neighbourhood cats is to put temporary netting over the area. For something a little less unsightly, you could try pegging chicken wire across the soil surface temporarily, and lightly covering it with a little soil. If you need the protection to be permanent you can cut holes in the chicken wire to allow for new plants to be planted. This will certainly prevent the cats from digging but can prove inconvenient when weeding or tending plants. I've also found that keeping the soil damp deters cats as they prefer loose, dry earth. There are various products available on the market which aim to put the cats off through unpleasant smells but they are often short-lived or don't work at all! The only exceptions to this that I have found is the strong smell of chicken manure pellets, which seem to keep the cats away (with the added bonus of feeding your soil at the same time!) and also the Scardy Cat Plant There are a few more technological options such as motion activated water sprinklers or motion activated ultrasound devices available on the market although these can be expensive. A well timed soaking with hosepipe or water pistol might be just as effective if you spot the culprit in time!

Rob Wood

Hi, I bought one of your apple duo trees during the winter. I have planted in our garden but so far this spring it doesn't appear to be showing any signs of life unlike our other trees, do you think it has managed to survive the cold weather. Also we have two yucca type trees that are around 5ft and 10ft tall in the garden but they have lost all their leave in the snow this winter, how will I know if they have survived. I inherited them in the garden and am new to gardening so I didn't protect them. (Unlike two tree ferns I did protect)

Hi Rob, apple trees are very hardy so I wouldn't be too worried at this stage. Many trees are only just starting to put on leaf growth, and if the tree has been recently planted it may well be delayed whilst it establishes roots and adjusts to its environment. I would expect the tree to show signs of growth by the end of the month. If you want to check your tree is alive, simply scrape back a little of the bark with your fingernail to see if it feels moist and is white or green in colour. Your Yuccas sound fairly established so they should show new signs of life soon! In extremely cold weather it is often the crowns at the top of the plant that become damaged - look for new side shoots forming lower down on the plant. If the top of the plant doesn't come back to life by the end of this spring then it is probably worth cutting the plant down to just above a newly formed shoot. Yuccas respond well to hard pruning so don't worry if you need to cut almost to ground level. It's also a good idea to feed your Yucca with a balanced fertiliser and apply a mulch of compost or well rotted manure around the base to give it a boost and aid recovery. I hope this helps Rob, please get in touch if you have any further problems with your apple duo tree.