Gardening Questions

Haughton Green Library, Denton.  2009

I have a pink broom which flowered well for three to four years. This year it has had no leaves and no flowers.

Scratch the stem of the plant with your fingernail. If it is green the plant is alive, if it is brown the plant has died. Broom is a member of the Pea family and do not like being moved. Cut them back lightly after flowering. It is better to prune them twice a year. They only flower on new wood.

I have an Acer, but it died almost overnight. What could have happened?

It could have been wind burn or the plant could have become waterlogged by a heavy rain. These plants do best in sheltered positions.

I had a 30ft cherry tree removed. What can I do with the stump?

You can employ stump grinders to remove the stump for you, or you could drill out the centre of the stump, will it with a mixture of soil, sand and grit and plant Alpines in it to make a feature.

Why is it so hard to find bare rooted wall flowers to buy?

Wall flowers are a member of the cabbage family; they start to rot after three days if not planted. 

Does Tameside recycle the bedding plants that are taken out of displays in the borough?

Yes, the bedding plants we remove from displays across the borough are sent for green waste composting. It is not possible for us to over-winter them as we do not have enough space to store them.

The tulips in Stamford Park were really good this year. Do Tameside over-winter the bulbs?

No we do not over-winter tulip bulbs. However, members of the public can feel free to ask gardening staff if they can take some away if they see them being removed (about the second week of May). Take the flower heads and stems off, but leave the leaves. Store them in a cool, dry place to dry out and plant them in the autumn.

I have a peony in my garden which has been in place for approximately 70 years and it has only failed to flower twice in the past twenty years. It has failed to flower this year.

Peonies can benefit from being split and replanted together or separately. If you do this you can refresh the soil around the plants at the same time, although it could be another year or two before it flowers again. If there is no foliage on the plant it may be that it has died.

If you have a tree cut down, what happens to the roots?

Poplars, willows and cherries will send out runners from the old roots. For most trees, the roots will rot back into the ground. You can buy chemicals from garden centres which speed up the rotting process.

As hemlock is poisonous are there any laws against growing it in a garden?

No, it is considered to be a wildflower. Of course, various laws would come in to play if you obtained poison from it and used it.

We currently have a cherry tree in our front garden which is getting too big and is lifting the paving nearby. Could you recommend a small tree for a small front garden that wouldn’t lift paving and could accompany an Acer?

Photinia Red Robin can be found grown as a standard tree or you could plant another Acer in a complimenting colour. You could also use Mahonia Charity, a multi-stemmed silver birch or a Bay tree.

You could move the cherry tree when it is dormant. Try to keep the root hairs in tact as these are the parts of the root which gather the nutrients from the soil.

I have tried to grow lupins this year from seed, but approximately one quarter collapsed. They have been kept inside, watered well and planted in B&Q multi-purpose compost.

Take one out of the pot and have a good look at the roots. It might be a pest in the root system.