GARDEN GURU

Is there anything I can Q plant along the base of a privet hedge to liven it up?

James Finch

A Privets are hungry and

thirsty plants that soak up nearby moisture and nutrients. Also, their roots are close to the surface, making planting underneath difficult. One solution would be to plant up containers with seasonal-interest plants and arrange them along the bottom to add a pop of colour.

I have grown cucumbers in Q my greenhouse for years. For the second year running, plants have produced about a dozen fruit before dying off. I grow them in soil imported from my vegetable plot, water every day and shade from the sun.

Charlie Riggall

Cucumbers need plenty of A nutrition to ensure a succession of fruit. The manure you dug into the soil before planting will help, but feed plants every ten to 14 days once planted out with a balanced liquid fertiliser, changing to a high-potash one when the first fruits start to set.

Q The branches of my tenyear-old rhus tree are wilting and its leaves shrivelling. Does it have a disease? Martin Gaines

Rhus trees are prone to

A

verticillium wilt, a fungal disease that stops roots taking up moisture effectively. There is no cure, but it would be worth pruning back by about a third (disinfect secateurs after use) – and keeping your fingers crossed.