GARDEN GURU

I have a large Salvia

Q

‘Amistad’ and was wondering how I should look after it over winter.

Kathy Heathcliffe

Salvia ‘Amistad’ is a

A cracking ornamental sage from Argentina that grows to about 5ft in height and produces masses of purple flowers from May until November. I would reduce the height of stems a bit to prevent wind rock and then spread some garden compost around the crown. New growth should appear from the base in spring and the old stems can be pruned back to the ground. Another option would be to cut back the old stems to about 1ft in spring, allowing some shoots higher up to develop.

I would like to buy a

Q

Japanese maple to give to a friend whose birthday is in December. I know they won’t have any leaves at that time of year. Are you able to suggest any varieties that will look good in winter?

Diane Doig

There are plenty of

A

Japanese maples with colourful stems. Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ and ‘Winter Flame’ both have bright red shoots, while Acer palmatum ‘Bi Ho’ boasts yellow shoots. Acer palmatum ‘Going Green’ has lobed green leaves that turn orange and red before they fall, revealing bright green stems. Stockists include Burncoose Nurseries (burncoose.co.uk), Crocus (crocus.co.uk) and Thompson & Morgan (thompson-morgan.com).