Every week my Inbox fills with gardening-related, and some non-related, questions. Readers are often looking for some tips and hints to solve some of their garden problems or troubleshoot issues with their plants.

In the past, I've usually taken the time to research their queries or pass on some of my limited knowledge. Then it occurred to me that most people who read my blog would probably be able to give even better answers than I can conjure up.

So, each Friday, I plan to 'open the floor' and put out the best questions for you, the reader, to pass on your valuable knowledge. Over time, I shall devise some way of honouring the best answerers but in the meantime you can be satisfied with having your name in front of a few thousand people each day.

Here we go;

Karen asks,

My large fuschia plant has been producing some seed pods. Is it possible to plant these and produce more fuschias? If so how do I go about it?

M. asks,

My friend has a beautiful Lavender Crape Myrtle that is blooming now. She has noticed that the bark has been pealing off up to the lowest branch and even out onto the branch. Is this supposed to happen?

And Jennifer asks,

Hi! I have a staghorn fern that's about 35 years old (inherited it from my greandmother). It's been in the same spot for the last 15 years and has been very happy until the last 6 or 7 months-the fronds have started dying and falling off all over the plant and the top of it no longer has any fronds at all. There's no fungi or any other strange looking thing growing on the fronds. What's happening to my pride and joy? What can I do about it?

Any answers to these gardener's queries?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now there's a question nearly every gardener would have experienced during their lifetime.

Some of you may remember when I wrote this post about some rootbound plants that we had bought from our favourite nursery. Well, the plan didn't go as well as we might have anticipated.

See if you can spot the difference... (I'll give you a clue - the one on the right is DEAD!)

It's one of the risks you take when buying deciduous plants in winter. Both looked healthy. Both were planted the same way and given the same love and attention. Yet the outcome is completely different.

What's even more frustrating is that it's 3 months since we bought these so explaining to our nursery owner that it wasn't our efforts that killed it is going to be extremely difficult.

So I have two questions. The first one is for Trey who blogs and owns a nursery. If a customer came in with the same problem how would you respond to it?

The second is for you, the humble reader. Would you bother taking it back and quibbling over a couple of dollars? Would you forgive the nursery and still remain loyal? Or, would you write them off and never go back?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)

Is it possible to over-mulch your garden?

Like anything, moderation is good. As shown here before mulch volcanoes around the base of trees can actually prohibit the tree's success. The same can be said if too much mulch is applied to a garden bed. When landscaping your garden the most mulch you would want to apply is 10-15cm (4-5in) of organic material and approximately 5cm (2in) of inorganic material.

In spring we will commence the annual mulching of our garden beds before the summer season arrives. This will aid in halting evaporation that removes the water from our plants that we pay so much for. I'm a big fan of mulch, not only for its purposes but also for its aesthetic qualities. It's like putting a black background behind a photograph.

If you want to neaten your garden before you put it on the real estate market - mulch the beds. It makes an incredible difference. I've seen homeowners who have done this and instantly the house looks better.

So what types of mulch are there and what are their purposes? Read on...

Continue reading "Mulch your garden" »

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

I had this from a reader the other day;

Q: What do I do about my gardenia leaves that are turning black and what do I do if I see little white bugs on them?

A: The black leaves sounds like "sooty mold" which is a type of fungus common to gardenias and citrus plants. It is actually the secretion of small bugs that create this mold which isn't harmful to the plant - it only makes it look horrible. The remedy for dealing with the mold is the eradication of the bugs that suck the sap from your plants.

These are usually aphids, scale, mealybugs or a plethora of other small insects which can be removed with any type of horticultural oil or by introducing other predator insects into the area (such as ladybugs).

The black can then be cleaned off with soapy water.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)