PLANTING

Q Can you tell me why my agapanthus never blooms? I get plenty of foliage but no flowers. @MWLizzy

It is probably because you have been over-feeding it, either by planting it in good soil, or being too generous with food and water if it is in a container. Agapanthus will flower best if it has restricted roots and is given limited feed.

QWhen would be the best time to move Verbena bonariensis plants? I’ve cut them down now, but I will need to move them to the back of the bed as they grow so large at the front. @scrappinrappin It is best, in principle, to move any plant when it is dormant but in practice any time is possible so long as you water it well before and after moving it and are prepared to cut it back to reduce the strain on the roots. Verbena bonariensis does grow very well from seed and cuttings, however, so I would suggest growing fresh plants for the back of the border, and if your existing ones survive winter let them stay where they are as they add height and drama without screening plants behind them.

QHave you ever planted anything and wished you hadn’t? Jill Meech

Often! Some fall into the ‘be careful what you wish for’ category – like the willows I planted 25 years ago around the perimeter of the garden and which are now too big, not very beautiful and hard to cut back. Or they’re spreaders, like Lysimachia ciliata ‘Firecracker’ or Allium ‘Purple Sensation’, both in the Jewel Garden, which are lovely but hugely invasive. Often I just get it wrong and decide that my good idea does not look so good after all. But I am very relaxed about moving plants or even composting them if I make a mistake.