Gardeners' question time with Brian Kidd
Our gardening expert solves your problems.
Q: My mum has a magnificent honeysuckle and would like to know its name. (Sample in dry newspaper arrived in excellent condition.) PH, Denvilles.
A: This is the best honeysuckle and has an easy-to-remember name. It is Late Dutch which, if planted in well-prepared soil, will last more 50 years. No other variety is more perfumed.
Q: I saw a programme about the use of peat and how this affects the environment. I don’t use peat now but can I make a substitute from garden waste? I have a big tree which may help. Leaf specimen of beech tree enclosed. VM, Cowplain.
A: Put the beech leaves in large compost bags in four-inch layers followed by a leaf mould activator. Once the bag is full put it out of the way with a weight on top. In a year you will have a four-inch layer of leaf mould in the base. This is better than peat .
Q: I would like to let readers know that I dilute the blood from meat and put it on the ground where my clematis Nelly Moser grows. I adore this plant and I think the blood is doing the trick. KF, Waterlooville
A: I agree and am pleased to pass this tip on.
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