GARDEN GURU

I received a beautiful Q bouquet that included a stem belonging to a purpleleaved plant. The shop that delivered it said it was a type of fig. What do you think? Anita Corfield

It’s actually a type of A Cordyline fruticosa, a frostsensitive plant that originates from New Guinea and other

Pacific islands. It’s probably a variety called ‘Purple Compacta’ and is best grown as a houseplant in the UK.

Q

We have 16 Scots pine trees in our garden. What

do you suggest we grow underneath them?

Christine Doyle

The area under pine trees is A pretty inhospitable for plants. Apart from being shady, the soil tends to be dry and lacking in nutrients. However, among plants worth trying are

Cyclamen hederifolium, dog’s tooth violet and epimedium.

My garden has been Q plagued by whitefly. Every time I disturb a plant, the insects appear and it takes all the pleasure out of gardening. How can I get rid of them? Sylvia Wilding

In spring, catch them by A

attaching weatherproof yellow sticky traps to plants and spray under leaves with an organic pesticide, repeating the process as advised by the manufacturer. If you grow vegetables, cover with insectproof mesh and lure them away from precious specimens with martyr plants, such as French marigolds and basil.