MONTY DON

Want to turn your garden into a winter haven for wildlife?

Our expert shows you how to do it

QMy bearded irises always look healthy but they never flower. I wonder if the rhizomes should be above the soil and not buried in the earth? Ann Salt, Maidstone, Kent

AYou’ve answered your own question, Ann. Bearded irises should always be planted with their rhizomes fully exposed and only the roots in the soil, which should be very well drained. They should have as much sun as possible so the rhizomes can bake – and the hotter and longer they bake, the better the following year’s flowers. Yours get no sun at all, and therefore no flowers.

QMy copper beech hedge has not retained its lovely copper leaves for the last few autumns. Is there anything I can do about this? Mervyn Collins, Riply, Derbyshire

AClipping your hedge in August will provoke a fresh flush of foliage that’s much more likely to stay on throughout winter. If the hedge has been very dry that also will contribute to leaf fall, so water well in dry periods.

QI planted some climbing fuchsias this year which have done very well. Should I prune them back in the spring or leave them? Mr D Stockton, Manchester

AClimbing fuchsias should be pruned in spring when fresh buds begin to break. Take back any weak growth to the base and cut the stronger growth back to a clear framework, which you can then tie in to the support.