GARDEN GURU

Q I have a very large New Zealand flax that has grown too big for my small garden. Do you have any suggestions on how I could get rid of it? Molly Dodd

A New Zealand flaxes (phormiums) are cracking architectural plants, and some have the potential to reach 13ft or more. I’ve found that one of the best ways to shift unwanted plants is to advertise them on social media.

I belong to several exotic plant groups on Facebook where members offer plants to others in exchange for digging them up. Other than that, I suspect a jobbing gardener would remove it for a small fee.

Q I have two rough areas in the corner of my lawn that I have tried to grass over by covering with topsoil and then sowing with seed. It hasn’t really worked so I want to remove the grass completely from this area and add some sort of decorative feature that will enhance the look of my lawn. What do you suggest?

Steve Jones

A couple of things come to A mind. A rock garden with some carefully arranged statement stones, shingle and alpine plants would provide impact and be fairly quick and economical to install. Aim to use local quarried stone so that it works in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

Another option is to add a bird bath or maybe a self-contained water feature powered by mains electricity, batteries or solar panels.