Reader Queries:

Q: My father died recently and there are plants of sentimental value that I would like to remove from his garden before the house is sold. I know it is the wrong time of year now. Is there anything I can do? - Mrs B. Steele, London SW7

A: It's amazing what you can get away with moving, even at this lush time of year. Soak the roots very well first and dig up the rootball with as little disturbance as possible. Put the rootball into a plastic bag; wrap it up tight. Replant as soon as you can and, before you finally fill up round the plant with the last few inches of soil, fill up with water instead and let it subside, to settle in and soak the roots once more. Erecting temporary shade and shelter helps the plant settle down too. The foliage and stems of many perennials will wilt and pick up again, but if they wither, just cut them off and wait for new ones, watering regularly.

Shrubs are harder to move now. It helps to cut them back by a half, if they are species that will stand hard pruning. Larger shrubs may die, or die back to the base.

51 glorious garden websites

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Q: I am growing dahlias for the first time this year and the shoots are coming up fast. Is there anything I need to do to them? - L. Smith, Portsmouth

A: Before they start to get top-heavy you will need to stake the taller varieties. Those under 18in should take care of themselves. Dahlias grown from tubers bought this spring may well make slender plants this first year, with only one or two stems coming up. Pinching out the tips now will make them bushier, though the first flowers may be a little smaller.

Q: I have been growing houseleeks in shallow pots outdoors, but they seem to have rotted off at the root. What should I do to improve the drainage, or would they be better growing on a wall top? — Mrs P. Charlton, Eastbourne

A: If you have been growing houseleeks (Sempervivum) in peat-based compost, they may well have rotted off. Instead use a soil-based compost enriched with 50 per cent grit. Also, vine weevil larvae love to nibble off houseleek roots, in which case peel off some older leaves under the rosette, to reveal some stem, then replant in new compost and treat periodically for vine weevils. There are chemical and biological controls available.

Q: About four years ago we planted daffodils randomly in our lawn. Last year, just as the flowering was over, and unknown to me at the time, my husband mowed them all down with our ride-on mower. As expected, none flowered this year, but the question is, will they ever flower again? — Jo Murrell, Devon

A: Surely they will flower. Patches of my daffodils are often disturbed by moles, and then the leaves also die down early. Flowering is poor next year, but they never die. The man who had the national collection of narcissi once had a car accident which put him in hospital just as he had emptied most of his collection out of its pots, ready for repotting. The plants were dry for months and shrivelled, but they survived. It takes time, however, to get the bulbs back to flowering after such disasters. Some bulbs should flower again next year, but others may take a couple of years to build up strength once more.

Q: I was given some opium poppy seed last year, but forgot to sow it. Is it too late? - J. Prentice, Southampton

A: Poppy seed remains viable for years and most of it should still germinate next year so long as you keep it cool – think how field poppies spring up when old fields are ploughed again after many years under grass. If you are worried about the viability next year, you can still sow a small number of seeds now (they are annuals). The resulting plants may not be very large, but they will produce more than enough fresh seed for next year (the same applies to argemones and red orache). The fact that the plants may be runty and small does not mean their progeny will be genetically smaller. The size, in this case, is due to environmental and seasonal conditions, and if you sow the seeds in good time, next year your poppies will be as statuesque as ever.

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