I’m climbing the wall over winter jasmine

My winter jasmine climber seems to be struggling, even though we’ve had plenty of rain and the wall has no eaves. Any idea why? – James, via email DAVID: Climbers often have to cope with poor soil at the base of a wall. And even if your house has no eaves you will still have a “rain shadow” where the rain barely lands.

Plant climbers 30-45cm from the wall so roots can access rainwater better.

Try compost or well-rotted manure to enrich the soil, and carefully transplant the roots further out if needed.

If it still struggles, it needs you to step up the watering. When you buy bare-root trees, they are dug up, their roots are wrapped, and they are delivered to your garden ready to go straight back into theground.

Make sure you’re ready to plant before you buy – because they should not be left out of the ground for long. While the roots are exposed be sure to keep them covered, using damp straw, rags or hessian.

Then, just before you begin planting, soak the roots in a bucket of water for 20 minutes to fully re-hydrate them.

If you have bought the tree before the site is ready then you are better off planting it temporarily somewhere else than leaving it out.

If you have to wait a few days, put the rootballs in trays or pots and cover with compost, and keep them in a frost-free place like the shed until the weather improves.

You don’t want to plant if the ground is frozen or waterlogged.

To prepare the site, start by digging a large hole several inches wider and deeper than your rootball.

Make the hole square – this will encourage the roots to extend outward rather than growing round in a circle at the edge of the hole.

If you have heavy soil at home, it’s a good idea to create a slight mound to improve the drainage.

If you have very dry soil, fill the hole with water and allow it to drain away. This will make the surrounding soil nice and moist for the roots.

Make sure none of the roots are going to be exposed once the plant is placed in the ground.

To ensure the soil is nutrient-rich, I would recommend a mix of half