Emma Crawforth

How much can a dahlia take?

Hello Swedboy,

You could try using some nematodes. They work really well, but they are expensive and they don't last forever. Now is the time to water them in though. They like warmth and wet soil. Hopefully you might get some foliage that way. You'll need it to photosynthesise and provide food for the tubers, even if you don't get any flowers this year.

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

Slugs and snails

Hello Lorraine Sharp,

Have a look at our feature on slug-proof plants.

It should give you some ideas for a few that would be suitable for your garden.

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

Talkback: 10 exotic house plants

Hello SFord,

Red spider mite can be a real problem in a hot conservatory. Have a look at our advice on how to deal with it. Do raise the humidity as you suggest. This should help, but I've know it to live quite well in humid places as well as dry ones. You can spray your plants with SB invigorator as recommended in adam's latest blog. That keeps them at bay. Also try giving the conservatory a top-to-toe clean out every winter.

As for plants, bougainvillea should suit your conservatory.

Good luck,

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

Thugs

I used to have opium poppies - Papaver somniferum in one of my beds. I liked them so much I sprinkled the seeds liberally around. They were very pretty for a while but they make a terrible mess when they go over. I probably wouldn't deliberately sow them again but if I had a piece of bare ground that I was desperate to cover quickly, they could be the answer.

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

Inspiration needed! Sunken patio/lawn edging

Hello Smithers,

I like your idea for the window box thing. It needs to be pretty high as if it's low you'll be adding an extra hazard to the garden! It will be a raised bed, so you can put whatever compost type you like into it. That gives you an opportunity to grow acid-loving plants even if the rest of your garden is alkaline and vice versa.

It looks as though that part of the garden is slightly shady, so I'm thinking some of the plants for shade in our feature will do well. Aquilegia, foxglove, bleeding heart and brunnera would be very pretty.

Good luck,

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

winter protection

Hello Saj,

Fleece protects tender plants in winter well. Pippa's written a blog about it and you can also read our project on protecting plants in winter using fleece. Olives are usually ok in London, but you never know what the weather's going to do these days!

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

How & when erisimum & scabious cuttings?

Hello lokelani,

I've grown Scabious 'Butterfly Blue' from bought seeds. This works well. As it's a perennial it may not flower in the first year, but should do if you sow it early enough. Do also try collecting seeds. However, if you grow from seeds you've collected in your garden, you may get some surprising colours as they may not 'grow true'.

Good luck,

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

Courgette Help

Hello courgette growers,

As long as I have enough of a crop, I always eat my baby courgettes. They are delicious, and many people think of them as a delicacy. The flowers are edible too, but they should only be eaten when you're happy that you've enough courgette fruits.

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

Welcome to the potting shed

Hello Rainjustlearning,

Your chairs look great and thanks for telling us about the paint mix you used. Definitely one that is worth trying at home!

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

colour in a shady garden??

Hello one girl and her dog(s),

I have a lot of shade in my garden, mostly because I can't stop planting small trees and shrubs, which cast shade over everything on the ground. Because this can look a bit dark, I tend to go for light coloured flowers and foliage to lift it. This may not exactly be bright, but white flowers look great next to dark areas. At the moment real favourites are Brunnera 'Betty Bowring' and Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White'. They're tough plants, and dogs and slugs are not usually interested in them. Try these plants for shade as well.

Emma

gardenersworld.com team

Big Garden Birdwatch

Hedgehogs

Winter pruning

children and gardening

lawn edging shears

Mildew

sweet peas