Alina W

What's the weather like in your area?

Still wet here in North Yorks, but they are promising us blazing sunshine and 16C tomorrow.

Shame it's a weekday....

What's the weather like in your area?

One word - wet.

Anemone de Caen

And I would point out that I did lose anemones in pots in a cold winter, just as Goldilocks suggested. Yes, it was an unusually cold winter, but I still lost them.

Rhubarb

It sounds like your rhubarb is short of water and food, particularly water.

Some detailed cultivation notes here:

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=544

yellow rust on hoolyhocks

One thing that you can try is to cut the plants down to ground level at the end of the year and then mulch around them - spores re-infect when they bounce up from the ground when it rains.

Once the plants start growing, feed them well and they will outgrow the rust for a time.

BBC Gardening Arrivals - Meeting Point

Lovely to see you here, Loopyloo - hope you're well on the mend now, and able to enjoy your garden again.

Talkback: Picture-wing flies

I hate to tell you this, but there is no easy way of getting rid of horsetail, and your digger is probably spreading it.

Crush the growth underfoot and then spray with a glyphosate-based weedkiller. You won't get rid of this in one go, but will have to repeat the treatment several times.

Drastic pruning of a cherry tree

You're unlikely to get a satisfactory result from what you're suggesting. Cherry trees are large unless grown on a dwarfing rootstock, which yours obviously isn't. Assuming it survives, the tree will just try to grow as tall again.

Far better to remove it completely and replace it with a shorter tree on dwarfing rootstock if that's what you want.

problem area in garden

It certainly should, yes. For summer and to keep your little lad interested, how about peas, beans and lettuce (you will have to keep them watered) that he can eat, plus sunflowers and nasturtiums for flowers (also edible)? Being annuals, you don't have to worry about them in winter.

problem area in garden

Rock garden plants would prefer more sunshine throughout the year.

You really need to improve the soil before planting up by incorporating organic matter (well-rotted manure> and grit to improve the drainage and the structure of the soil. Once that's done, you will be able to choose from a large number of plants - to give just one example, I have roses thriving in a similar situation.