Garden Guru

Q I’d like to make a bog garden next to my pond with some carnivorous plants. What kind of soil do they like? Les Carter A Carnivorous plants thrive in moist but sharply drained acidic soil. If your ground isn’t suitable then raise them in pots filled with special carnivorous plant compost, sinking containers into the ground. Several types of sundew are frost hardy, while Sarracenia flava and compact Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea, a pitcher plant from Canada, will take temperatures down to -15C. Q Four years ago a grass-like plant appeared in my garden. The stalks are about 5ft high with cream-coloured heads. Can you identify it for me? Farouk Sookia A Yes. The photo of your mystery plant shows a type of pampas grass, most likely Cortaderia richardii. Unlike the bog-standard pampas, it has much more slender, grassy leaves and arching flower heads. Q I’ve had a problem with my runner beans for the past two years. I put out young plants in May and, by the time I’m ready to pick, they start to wither and die due to black fly infestation. What can I do? Rod Kemp A Keep a close eye on plants the moment you plant them out in May, checking daily for aphids. If you spot any, squash them. You’ll need to continue doing this all summer. Of course, some are bound to escape your gaze – blitz them with an organic spray.