Coastal gardening can be so rewarding WHILE

Raising the canopy of trees and shrubs is an effective way of letting in more light. Do this and all sorts of bulbs and small plants you may have thought had been lost could start to grow again. Carry out the pruning during the winter while the shrubs are dormant.

Feed Amaryllis bulbs fortnightly with a low-nitrogen liquid feed, allowing the compost to dry out between watering.

Q

Is there any way of improving the appearance of my garden in winter? – Nicole Simpson, by email.

Scrub paths, sweep up fallen leaves and edge the lawn then remove any dead foliage that has collapsed, leaving only stalks and stems that remain upright.

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Check the ties and stakes on trees, tightening them if necessary. Heel down any plants lifted by frost.

Is it true that laurel leaves contain cyanide? I’ve got a very large hedge that needs to be cut back but I don’t want to poison myself. – Peter Clark, Uddingston.

Laurel leaves do contain cyanide but you should be safe as long as you don’t chew them and don’t let family pets eat them either. I would also avoid mulching the leaves or adding them to the compost heap.

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Pick a few stems of wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox ) and bring indoors and they’ll fill your home with scent.

Storm Diana was at its height I received a video clip from a friend who lives on the Mull of Kintyre showing giant waves crashing over his garden wall.

It was dramatic and dangerous – stand in the wrong spot and you’d have been swept away – and the garden was swamped.

No garden looks its best during a storm surge but on better days this one is in an idyllic spot with breathtaking views towards the far side of Arran and, in winter, little chance of either frost or snow.

This sort of maritime climate suits many tender plants, including quite a number from the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa.

These include red hot pokers and gladioli that grow surprisingly well along the rain-soaked west coast of Scotland, just so long as they are given really sharp drainage.

Shelter is equally important and is the key to creating a garden just above the high water mark as the challenges of growing in this sort of situation include almost incessant winds that stunt growth and salt-laden spray that scorches the edges of tender leaves.

It can take a long time for a shelter belt of shrubs and trees to become established, but a temporary windbreak made from horticultural netting will allow plants to put their roots down without getting their heads blown off.

Plants on the leeward side of walls and buildings have a better chance of thriving, but there’s little point in erecting a solid fence as this will most likely be quickly blown over.

A slatted fence, that filters the wind and reduces its force, is a more effective alternative.

Selecting plants for coastal gardens isn’t difficult – look for If your crop of sprouts intended for the dinner table on Christmas Day are coming along nicely, don’t let bad weather spoil them. Remove any yellowing leaves, weed between the plants and then take them firmly to prevent them from being blown over. Wind rock can also cause the individual sprouts to form loose leaves instead of being tightly-furled. anything with blue-green foliage or a waxy coating to its leaves, and it helps that many of the best plants, such as Sea Thrift, Sea Holly (Eryngium) and Sea Kale (Crambe maritima) are easily identifiable by their names.

You don’t need to live within sight of the coast to grow these, but you do need gritty, free-draining soil or the chances are they won’t survive their first winter.

They don’t mind getting their feet wet but they don’t enjoy standing in a puddle.

I’ve had some success growing Thrift as a wall plant where there’s little more than rock beneath its roots, but even though we live just a mile from the coast, neither Thrift nor any other maritime plants would enjoy my heavy soil.

Instead, I concentrate on woodlanders, the sorts of things that relish damp soil and filtered light and which don’t curl up their roots when planted in clay.

Most plants which fail, do so as they are growing in the wrong place so it’s worth finding out how to keep different flowers, shrubs and trees happy.

That way you should end up with a garden that flourishes effortlessly even if the sea washes over it.

Poinsettias hate drafts, so keep them away from doors and off windowsills. They like a warm room and only need watering when the compost starts to feel dry, but you must let them drain thoroughly.The elegant branches of the Stag’s Horn Sumach (Rhus typhina) make it a good choice for the garden in winter.Q Every year I plant Christmas roses but few ever survive. – Craig Wilson, Anstruther. A Christmas roses like cool soil that doesn’t dry out in summer but winter wet can see them off and the flowers can be spoiled if splashed with soil. Try growing in pots, using gritty compost, and repotting each spring.Keep off grass during spells of frosty weather to avoid damaging growth and causing compaction.Q We built our house 35 years ago in what was then an empty field. Now the garden has become congested and plants are failing because of lack of light. Can we improve things? – Morag McAllister, Crieff. A