Quick QUESTIONS
Can lilies be grown successfully in containers?
Grace Grant, by email
Yes, and I think it’s the best way. In a container about 40cm tall such as you describe, I‘d plant six bulbs.
Be sure to plant them deeply, use a soil-based potting compost and put a mulch of leaf mould on top. Renew the leaf mould mulch every spring and give a handful of bonemeal at the same time.
How can I repot my large cactus when I can’t lift it?
Jenny Seddon, by email
I wonder if it really does need moving and repotting. Most cacti like to be pot-bound and it’s usually only then that they’ll flower. I suspect it will be happy in its existing pot if you give it a little houseplant feed every couple of weeks from spring to autumn.
How should I treat seeds that I’ve saved from a passion flower?
David Sanders, by Facebook Keep them in the fridge until early spring, then sow them in a gritty, soil-based compost in a warm propagator. They should germinate slowly over
a period of time and will then need careful potting on and hardening off. Grow the plants in pots for at least a year before planting them in a sheltered spot in the garden.
Can I eat watercress that’s grown at the side of my pond?
Matt Ryan, by email
I wouldn’t advise it as the water may not be as clean as you think, although the real danger with watercress is when it’s growing in stagnant conditions or in water known to be polluted. It can actually be grown out of water, in wet soil, and will then be extra hot. Simply plant cuttings from a supermarket bunch.