Reader Queries:

Q: My best present last Christmas was a tree fern. It has done well but now it needs winter protection. Do I cut off the fronds, and if so how far back? With what do I wrap the trunk, and should I leave the top open? — J. Edwards, West Malling

A: Tree ferns are naturally evergreen, so do not cut the fronds. If frost blackens them, bend them down or tie them over the crown as insulation, then cut them off in spring. The first and best protection you can offer is a sheltered position out of the wind; remember these are plants of woodland glades. Then drop a handful of dead leaves into the crown to keep the frost off the live bud, which is at the top of the trunk. Thereafter, in the face of a seriously cold winter or northern climates, erect a cylinder of chicken wire or rigid plastic mesh around the trunk (something porous, not plastic) and fill it with straw or hedge clippings — anything to provide some insulation.

Q: I have recently moved into a newly built house with about 12 similar properties around us. They all have sparsely planted areas that are supposed to define certain boundaries between properties. I would like to improve these areas, but am not sure which bushes would be suitable. Preferably I would like things that remain green throughout the year without being too large and obtrusive to my neighbours, yet which create a natural boundary. - Mr P. Banevicius, Burntwood, Staffs

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A: The first, most vital thing to say about planting (visually) common areas in front of houses, is that you need as much as 50 per cent of one variety to make the place look calm and characterful. Trust me, it works. One-of-this and one-of-that is no good at all. Second, you need to plant different-sized groups in an irregular rhythm, not a set of equidistant soldiers. Third, you should make the heaviest areas of planting adjacent to something substantial, most probably the house or a garage. It all helps to stop the place looking spotty, and suggests the divisions of the space, rather than stuttering, abandoned hedges.

What to plant? Nothing too fancy in a public position. Something with a little dignity. I would think about choisya, pittosporum, hebe and aucuba.

They are all tough once established, but bear in mind the hot caress of dogs and footballs in the early years.

Q: Four years ago I planted a bamboo (Fargesia something?) and it has made an attractive clump 10ft across. During the autumn it covered itself with brown tufts of flower. I understand from my books that it will die now. How soon will it happen? It will leave a big gap. - Mrs L. Tweddle, Notting Hill

A: It's probably fargesia nitida, which has flowered in many gardens in the last few years and it will die, I'm afraid. It is unlikely to produce any leaf next year but will stand as a great grey and brown fountain. Grim. Unless you want to fiddle about trying to raise seedlings I should get rid of it now, roots and all, and replant with a different species. Fargesia murielae perhaps? It flowered a few years ago and all the clones of it around now are just a few years old and will not flower for decades.

Q: My 20ft garden backs on to an 80ft one. The owners have planted four silver birches just behind my fence. I read that silver birches can grow to 35ft and that their roots suck goodness from the soil. Will I have to rely on plants in pots? Will branches overhang; and are the roots likely to reach my garden? Could my patio (near the fence) be disturbed? - Mrs E. Balsom, London SW15

A: Certainly, in 10-15 years you will have a much drier, hungrier garden. How root-riddled it becomes will depend on how often it is dug. More significant will be the loss of light, especially if the trees are to the south of your garden. There are plenty of drought-tolerant plants for sun, less so for shade, but you should not be driven to containers. Will branches overhang? Yes, but technically you are allowed to cut them off. Will the roots disturb your patio? They will reach it, but if it's well made it won't erupt. Talk to your neighbours; face to face first, not letters. Ask them round, show them your problem.

Q: Should I cut perennials to the ground or to just a few inches above? - R. Chamberlain, Southend

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