Pheasant berry is an attractive and
easy-going shrub38 AmAteur GArDeNING 6 JULY 2019Q
This shrub is growing in our
new garden – what is it?
Monica Deveres,
Jemma Bains, Faversham, KentA
This is a pheasant berry or
Himalayan honeysuckle
(Leycesteria formosa), an attractive plant
with arching stems and dense panicles
of claret-red bracts enclosing white
blooms that appear in July and August.
The flowers are followed by berries that
pheasants love, hence the plant’s name!
Leycesteria will grow happily in
ordinary, well-drained soil and flower
best in full sun, although it will tolerate
partial shade. If the stems are damaged
by hard winters, new shoots appear from
the base in spring.
You can cut the plant back hard in late
winter, but you will get a longer flowering
period by only cutting one-third to a half
of the stems. Trim the remaining stemsWrite to us:Ask John, Amateur Gardening magazine,
Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park,
Farnborough, Hants, GU14 7BF.
Email us:[email protected]Q
The leaves on our Norway maple
are looking sad and scorched.
What can we do?
Tommy Clark, via emailA
Unfortunately, maples are prone to
scorched leaf edges. This usually
reflects some sort of stress, such as
drought, soggy soil, frost or cold drying
winds. Early leaves can be damaged by
de-icing salt spray, particularly in front
gardens close to the road.
As we suffered a very wet winter, I’llCan we help our scorched maple?
What is this shrub that we love?
Beetle mania!
Q
I found this bug on my ox-eye
daisies. Is it a tiger beetle?
Gill Marchant, Haddenham, CambsA
Yes, this is Oedemera nobilis, or
the green tiger beetle, as you say.
Interestingly, its wings do not completely
cover the body.
It is widespread in southern England
and Wales, where it favours grassy
places and visits flowers to feed on
pollen. It can be elusive, and you were
lucky to see it.Q
Our laburnum flowered beautifully
and we now have lots of pods.
Should I remove some to save the
tree’s energy for next year?
Hazel Dodgson, via emailA
I like your idea of removing
laburnum seedpods to channel
energy into strong new growth.
Also, if you have toddlers who enjoy
playing in your garden and are keen to
sample everything, it would not be wise
to leave highly poisonous seedpods to
attract them. Indeed, the laburnum’s
leaves and bark are toxic, too.Do I leave pods on?
Maples are prone to having their leaves scorchedThe tiger beetle can be found in
southern England and Walesguess that the damage was caused by
wet soil over winter and spring. Make
sure that the container drains well – can
you raise it onto some blocks or bricks?
From your photo (above), it appears
that your tree is suffering from powdery
mildew. All the hot weather we are
having encourages mildews (and leaf
scorch, too). Continue to provide plenty
of water to the roots, but avoid wetting
the leaves. Scotts’ Fungus Clear Ultra
can give effective control. Follow the
manufacturer’s instructions.to remove old flowers, and these will
flower again in early summer.
The new stems produced from lower
down will flower in late summer.Laburnum pods are attractive,
but also toxic