GARDEN GURU
I’ve moved house and Q inherited a hedge made up of plants with black berries. Can you identify the plant, and is it harmful to dogs? Philip Harrison
Thanks for the photograph. A It’s a privet hedge. The berries are rarely seen, as hedges are generally trimmed at least twice a year to keep a tight shape. The berries are toxic to dogs, so keep trimming the hedge regularly to prevent flowers forming.
Q I have a ‘Lucky Berry’ blueberry plant that has just produced a lot of flowers and fruit. I don’t expect to be picking blueberries at this time of year so should I pick them off to prevent the plant wasting energy?
Alan Osman
A Launched in 2019, ‘Lucky Berry’ is a new strain of blueberry that generally bears drop-shaped fruit over a four-month period, from July to October. It will sometimes produce flowers outside of the main picking period, so I would leave them and enjoy a late crop.
Q I planted Verbena ‘Endurascape’ earlier this year. It is now 3ft tall. Do I need to prune it?
Stephen Davies
A Verbena ‘Endurascape’ is a recent debutante from across the pond, which looks like a bedding verbena but is hardy down to minus 10C. Ensure plants remain compact by cutting back in late winter before new growth appears in spring.