The overseas adviser

I would like to buy a log cabin in Sweden, ideally above the Arctic Circle, but within two hours of an airport. I can find nothing on property websites. Can you help?

KE, by e-mail

You may find it difficult to find a traditional log cabin to buy in northern Sweden — the rental market is more for holiday or summer cottages. You will get better results in your search if you look for “property to buy in Sweden” or “property to buy in Norrbotten”, for instance, rather than searching specifically for log cabins in northern Sweden.

You should consider extending your area of interest further south — the winter activities and summer walking would be just as enjoyable, and you should be able to find the sort of property you are looking for.

There are small local airports at Lulea and Kiruna, with limited connections from Britain. The main international airports, Malmo, Gothenburg and Stockholm, are a long way further south — and, despite good rail and road systems, a long way from the areas in which you are interested.

Bill Blevins is the managing director of Blevins Franks International, an independent firm providing tax and investment advice

The tech consultant

How do I hide the large plasma screen in my drawing room when I am not watching it? I am looking for something in a traditional style.

LP, south London

You can buy furniture designed to hide such new technology, from simple cabinets to more ornately carved pieces that may suit your traditional decor. The screen can then be viewed either by opening doors or via a lift that will pivot or tilt it into the desired viewing position. Prices for plasma lifts start at £1,500, excluding labour. Try Arthur Brett (01603 480700, www.arthurbrett.com) or David Salmon (020 7349 7575, www.davidsalmon.com).

Alternatively, recess the screen into the wall and conceal it behind a sliding panel (from £2,200) or a picture that rolls up in a frame when you want to watch a film. Consult Future Automation (www.futureautomation.co.uk) or the Custom Electronic and Design Installation Association (01480 213744, www.cedia.co.uk) for more information and prices.

Malcolm Stewart is the co-founder of the custom installation company Kensington Home Technology Our experts cannot send personal replies. Questions may be edited for reasons of space and advice is given without responsibility. Please do not send original documents or SAEs

The gardener

Which plants can I cultivate for their edible flowers?

J Bremner, Edinburgh

A wide range of decorative plants have edible flowers that are ideal for mixing into salads or for use as flavourings or as a garnish. For a display of purple, mauve and pink flowers, go for chives, sage (Salvia officinalis) and sweet violet ( Viola odorata). If you prefer blue and white flowers, then grow lavenders or borage — sow the seeds in the herb garden now.

Other hardy annuals that can be sown outdoors in mid-spring, or raised under cover in pots for planting out in May, include nasturtiums, whose mass of orange, red and yellow flowers have a peppery flavour, and pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis), which are a vibrant orange.

Is there a courgette I can use as a climber in my small garden?

D Marriott, Oakham

Courgette ‘Black Forest’, a climbing variety, is ideal for raising in a container on a warm, sunny terrace. In mid-April, the seeds can be sown 1in deep in 3in pots, then left to germinate on a kitchen windowsill or in a greenhouse. Once the fear of frost has passed, “harden off” the young seedlings for a few days before planting them outdoors in 15in-diameter containers. The stems should be trained up a trellis as they grow (use soft twine to tie them in position) and the compost should be kept moist — apply a liquid feed every week. The dark-green fruits are ready to harvest when they are about 6in long. The seeds are available from Thompson & Morgan (01473 695225, www.thompson-morgan.com).

I have a congested patch of self-sown foxglove seedlings in my garden. Can I move them now?

D Greenwood, Tetbury

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a tall biennial plant, which means it takes two years to come to flower. The seedlings have grown from seeds shed last summer; the tall, pink-purple flower spikes will emerge this season. In mid-spring, the seedlings, which form a rosette of coarse leaves, should be large enough to handle and can be moved. Start by lightly watering the plants, then carefully lift each one, with a ball of soil still attached to the roots. Transplant them to a sunny or semi-shaded spot with moist, welldrained soil. Bury the rootballs to the same depth as before (at least 6in apart), gently firm in, then water the ground well. The foxgloves will flower between June and September, then shed their seeds to start the process again.

Neil Wormald is a qualified horticulturalist. Send your questions to Garden Expert, Home, The Sunday Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST, or e-mail garden.expert@sunday-times.co.uk

e-mail your questions to propertyexperts@sunday-times.co.uk

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