Quick Qu estions
Is the weeping sap from my conifer due to insects?
Fay Jamieson, by email If it were, it probably wouldn’t be too serious, but where you have branch dieback and sap weeping from the main trunk then it’s a sign of some serious internal fungal infection. All you can do is see if the tree pulls through. These branches, however, will not recover and pruning them out may leave the tree looking a little odd.
How do I prune our poplar trees?
Olivia Black, Filey, Yorkshire Populus candicans ‘Aurora’ is a striking, variegated, ornamental tree with white, yellow, pink and green foliage. It grows to 25m (82ft) so it’s unsuitable for most gardens. Fortunately, it can be pruned in late winter to keep it compact and encourage larger leaves. How hard you prune it is very much down to personal choice, so take back the branches as necessary. Suckers from around the base are best removed in summer.
I have crocus shoots showing. Is this due to climate change?
Grant Rivers, South Ockendon, Essex No, these will be autumn-flowering crocus. Some of the best include
C. cartwrightianus, a relative of the saffron crocus, C. laevigatus, C. nudiflorus and C. speciosus. Confusingly, the common name ‘autumn crocus’ is also applied to colchicums which bloom in autumn. While superficially similar, they’re more closely-related to daffodils, while crocus are related to iris.