trillium2cv

Apple trees

We get a lot of swirling winds and bent plants in a very sheltered garden. Unless you are certain you don't, stake it. A stake and strap is cheaper than your tree.

Talkback: How to fit guttering on a greenhouse

Copper and Aluminium are electrochemically not compatible. I.e. the aluminium will corrode quickly in contact with copper. Not a good idea. Otherwise I agree with you. Just use aluminium alloy for the brackets where possible, or insulate the metals from each other with plastic, or possibly paint the copper to minimise metallic contact between the two.

amaryiliss

Amaryllis/Hippeastrum are very variable when bought "new". I bought 2 before Christmas and 1 has had 3 flower stems (1 with 11 flowers) 1 after the other, but no leaves yet, and the other no flowers but now has 6 leaves. Basically keep it warm and just moist in a good light until you are sure it is well rooted, and it will either produce more flower stems or long leaves. Then water and feed occassionally with a high potash (e.g. tomato) fertiliser building up a bigger and fatter bulb for next season. Normally they go dormant in the summer and the old leaves are cut off to tidy the plant, but this is not strictly necessary. Like florists cyclamen you can keep them green all year round if you want.

confused..

I buy GW magazine too, but equally I good read it for nothing at my local library, where there are numerous gardening books; all free to read or borrow. Buy a copy if you find them helpfull and want a permanent reference.

AND join your local gardening clubs, and talk to people.

Dahlia Tubers

They won't take much frost if they are just bare tubers. I hope your shed is reasonably frost free. In this weather it is better to put them in a box, cardboard will do, and cover them in dry soiless compost as insulation. A cool but airy place indoors might be better, but they may start shooting which could be a problem for you if you have no greenhouse or cold frame to protect them and give them some light when in growth.

Rose Bed

A couple of questions for you. Do you really want a bed in such a prominent position to be bare earth (or mulch) for about half the year? How important is scent, as dwarf rose plants are difficult to smell? Roses as a rule are not so scented that they fiill the air in an open situation. Flower scents are different things to different noses. I and my wife have been round the garden centre at RHS Wisley twice over the last 2 years checking the scent of their plants for our garden and very few modern roses have a strong scent, even when the labelling recommends them for scent, with 1 great exception, "Gertrude Jekyll". This has a super strong scent, is deep pink, a repeat flowerer, but is quite a vigorous grower. Even in full sun you may have a problem keeping in below 4' or so, and 6' is more likely in my experience. Hard pruning each year will help keep it shorter, and don't feed too much. Personally I would grow it amongst herbaceous plants, maybe clove scented pinks round the edges for more scent, and taller herbaceous plants or sping, summer or autumn bulbs amongst the roses. Hope this helps a bit.

Talkback: How to plant gladioli corms

I don't know who prepares these articles but if the corms are 6" deep in the picture then they are truly massive corms and the hand is several feet long. Also they are still promoting the false idea that adding coarse material at the bottom of a pot improves drainage, when in fact it impedes drainage. Have they never heard of a perched water table? The best explanation of this I have seen is in this article by Paul Cumbleton at RHS Wisley http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/pbs/2007-February/016272.html

Talkback: How to plant gladioli corms

I don't know who prepares these articles but if the corms are 6" deep in the picture then they are truly massive corms and the hand is sever...