QUESTIONS

Jenny Vicars, by email Stefan says: Hostas are lovely foliage plants, but not for winter. Like most herbaceous perennials, they die down completely in autumn but will grow again most attractively next year. In fact, the leaves don’t die especially gracefully and I make a point of pulling them away as soon as they wilt. I then mulch the crown with leaf mould.

Claire Terry, by email Stefan says: The best way to get rid of them is by digging up each one carefully and thoroughly as soon as you see them. In truth, pulling them up is better than digging if you can manage to do it although it may be difficult if you have heavy soil. The wonderful autumn-fruiting raspberry ‘Autumn Bliss’ is notorious for being difficult to remove, but that’s a small price to pay for

lovely late-season fruit.