Quick Qu estions
Why won’t our lily of the valley flower?
Pat Pritche , Louth, Lincolnshire Lily of the valley does best in a leafy, fertile, humus-rich, moist soil in partial shade. Most soils aren’t like this so the best option is to mulch annually with leaf mould, garden compost or well-ro ed manure. Where plants are crowded, flowering will diminish, so lift and divide now and replant, having replenished the soil with organic ma er. In dry areas, water plants once a week after flowering until the foliage dies back. Occasional liquid feeds next spring will also encourage be er flowering.
Will my columnar conifer damage drains?
Sylvia Stewart, Nairn, Scotland Tree roots don’t generally damage sound pipework, but unfortunately, being underground, it’s difficult to inspect your pipes without costly surveys. A tree 8m (26ft) high and 3m (10ft) from the house is rather close. You could, as you
What’s caused webbing on our cotoneaster?
Peter Hughes, by email The mass of silk webbing on your Cotoneaster
horizontalis is caused by hawthorn webber moth caterpillars. They’ll overwinter here and emerge in late spring to feed. It might be possible to simply prune out the webbing, but wear gloves. Alternatively, spray with a garden insecticide listed for controlling caterpillars. suggest, reduce it by half and prune off the side branches, but your conifer won’t recover from this treatment. You could train a climber up the dead trunk or use it to support hanging baskets, but if you’re concerned about honey fungus, the best option is to remove it.