ASK DIARMUID

QWOULD it be OK to plant Cyclamen hederifolium in the lawn? If so, how deep should I plant them and when should I stop and restart cutting the grass?

Chris YES you can grow them in grass where they will self-seed and naturalise. You sometimes see them growing wild in unmown roadside verges. You’re quite right – you will need to stop mowing the

Alawn from August until May while they are in leaf.

They’re in flower now and look absolutely gorgeous and it would be a good time to plant them if you buy container grown plants. Don’t plant too deeply as that will reduce flowering – corms should lie just below the surface of the soil. If a no mowing regime doesn’t suit your situation, they also look great in the shade under deciduous trees and shrubs. THERE are hints of autumn colour outside my window now as I see the stag’s horn sumach turning golden yellow.

Definitely one of the best small trees for fall colour, it’s not everyone’s favourite due to its aggressive suckering habit, meaning it puts up shoots regularly from the base and then spreads.

However, here’s a better behaved version – Tiger Eyes. Not only are the leaves very beautifully dissected, almost fernlike, it stays a compact 3 to 6ft in height and doesn’t sucker so much. In any case, just cut any unwanted shoots out as they appear.

It does well in most soils, preferably moist but well drained, and in full or partial shade. As well as the wonderful oranges and scarlets to enjoy in autumn, the conical flowers that emerge in summer remain on the antler-like branches for winter. An all-round star which has won the RHS Award of Garden Merit.