Q&A: Greener gardening

Want green fingers in both senses of the word? Here are some common greener gardening questions…

Everything I plant dies or I end up feeding and watering it copiously. I feel like the opposite of a green gardener.

A golden rule of ecofriendly gardening is to pick the right plant for the right place. Sometimes we think only of what the gardener likes!

Plants that seduce you at the garden centre may not do well unless they like the local climate and soil of your plot. Every garden has a thriving and complex mini-climate that is affected by factors such as aspect, soil type and exposure.

These factors all add up and dictate what you can grow successfully. Pick plants according to the characteristics of your garden and they’ll need less care and attention, which means less stress for plants and gardener alike!

I'd love a wildflower meadow in my garden to encourage butterflies. Are they difficult?

There are commonly three types of meadow that you can create, but for butterflies the ‘late summer meadow’ is the one for you. Tall flowers such as knapweed, buttercups and harebells will encourage butterflies and moths galore.

The best location is a sunny spot that hasn’t been overly fertilised. Too rich a soil will encourage lots of grasses that crowd out wildflowers, so perversely, the poorer the soil, the better it is.

A common mistake is to forget to prepare the ground in either autumn or spring before sowing seed. If there are too many existing weeds or grasses they will smother your wildflowers.

Established wildflower meadows need little work. The tricky part is choosing the right location. For seed mixes look on the internet. Websites such as Dobbies.com have a good variety.

Can you recommend a compact tree for a large, urban garden, with year-round interest and that won't be too thirsty in hot summers?

Box elder (Acer negundo), Judas tree (Cercis siliquastrum), hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata), Chinese scholar-tree (Sophora japonica), yellowwood (Cladrastis lutea), red-barked strawberry tree (Arbutus x andrachnoides) and the paper birch (Betula papyrifera) are all small trees that can tolerate drought and look good all year round.

However, it's important to recognise that drought resistance comes with age: the older the tree, the more tolerant of drought it is.

All trees are most at risk from prolonged dry spells as they establish, which for many can take an entire growing season. During this time regular watering is essential.

What are companion plants?

Companion plants are those that are grown together to benefit each other.

Some can be used to provide shade from nasty weather, others can supply nutrients. Most commonly, many plants can be used to attract beneficial insects or as a repellent for nasty ones. Ultimately, the plants do the work.

Here are some examples:

• French marigolds discourage whitefly and blackfly
• Garlic or ornamental alliums planted at the base of roses will help prevent blackspot
• Carrots and leeks go hand in hand – each deters the pests of the other
• Sacrifice a couple of feverfew; they’re loved by aphids
• Plant mint (in pots!) among cabbages to deter cabbage white butterflies – their caterpillars like to eat cabbage leaves
• Slugs hate wormwood
• Use mustard as a ‘trap crop’ to attract many pests away from those you want to eat
• Yarrow and dill attract beneficial hoverflies, whose larvae prey on greenfly and whitefly
• Mosquitoes and scarid flies hate bay leaves
• Use nasturtium as a magnet for caterpillars; plant them side by side with cabbages.

I want two hedges to act as a windbreak and provide a habitat for wildlife. I'd be happy for them to reach a height and spread of two metres, but no more. Any ideas?

The type of hedge is the most important factor when looking to attract wildlife into the garden. Hedges made from 'ornamentals' typically provide little food and nesting opportunities so it's best to go for a mixed hedge made up of natives, such as holly, guelder, blackthorn, hawthorn, yew, beech, maple and dog rose.

However, do pick according to the native species found in your area; your garden centre will have the local knowledge to supply and help you pick the right mix.

You will need to trim a native hedge to keep it below two metres, but, importantly, cut it in late autumn so there is no chance of disturbing nesting birds.

To provide good cover and safety for birds, plant your hedge in two rows alternating the trees in a zig-zag pattern. Unless you're using mature specimens you may need to erect a temporary barrier for privacy and security. It might be worth choosing traditional windbreak netting; it will also help your 'living' windbreak establish more quickly.

How can I keep cats off my garden? I have tried pepper, fruit peel, big bottles of water, chilli powder and 'Keep Off' (which is not cheap).

Unfortunately there's no 'super cure' and no one deterrent is 100% effective; it takes trial and error.

Cats detest spines and prickles so planting shrubs and perennials like holly, globe thistle, osmanthus, acanthus, berberis and firethorn should encourage them to go elsewhere.

Thickly cover bare soil with prickly prunings; the twigs of Christmas trees and roses are ideal.

Moth balls, tea bags soaked in 'Deep Heat' and eucalyptus oil work well for some, not at all for others.

'Silent Roar' Lion Dung Pellets are worth a try, tests have proved that it works just three hours after application.

If you’ve got any suggestions, let us know in the forums…

My front garden is buried under masses of fallen leaves from our large sycamore tree. There are too many to compost and I don’t want to throw them away. What else can I do with them?

The answer is simple… make leaf mould! First rake all the leaves into a pile and then stuff them loosely into black plastic sacks. Before tying off each bag, chuck in a pint of water to help the decomposition process.

To encourage air movement throughout the bag, puncture the side a couple of times before placing it in a warm spot out of sight.

Although, like beech and horse chestnut, sycamore leaves do take longer than usual to break down, come next autumn you should have a nutrient-rich crumbly mixture which you can use as mulch, soil conditioner or compost additive.

To help speed things along you could add an ecofriendly leaf mould activator available at your local garden centre, but that said, all you really need is patience.