29 JUNE 2019AMATEUR GARDENING 37Write to us:Ask John, Amateur Gardening magazine,
Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park,
Farnborough, Hants, GU14 7BF.
Email us:[email protected]Q
WE have lots of bees in the garden,
which is a wonderful thing, but they
are ignoring my lavenders and flocking to
anything red that’s in flower. Why is this?
Annie Hicks, Whitehaven, CumbriaA
What lavenders do you
grow? Bees prefer the
easily accessible flower
clusters of English
lavender to the frilly
flowers of French
lavender. Bumblebees
are the usual visitors,
as short-tongued
honeybees have trouble
accessing the narrow
corollas of the flowers.
Bees are unlikely to visit
flowers that are not in their sexual phase.The flower corollas might not be large
enough to allow access, and the pollen
and nectar may not be ready. I expect
that the bees don’t ignore your lavender
when it is in full bloom.
Flowers that are dependent on bees
for pollination pull out all the stops
to attract their attention using
colour, pattern, scent,
distinctive electric fields
or any or all of these
in combination.
Bees can’t see the
colour red, but they can
see ultraviolet, so your red
plants may have patterns
or guidance lines on the
petals attracting the bees that
they can see, but that are hidden
to us without using special equipment.Are my bees being very picky?
Q
Can you tell me why my cordyline
is looking so sad?
Mimma Copeman, via emailA
The cordyline is actually a barely
hardy Chamaerops palm. Though it
looks unhappy, with disease-like
blemishes, I feel sure that it can be
reinvigorated.
Start by repotting it in loam-based
John Innes potting compost No3,
mixed with a quarter part, by volume,
of coarse grit. Before potting, place
crocks or pea shingle over the drainagePalm palaver
Bees prefer English lavender (pictured) to the frilly fl owers of French lavenderQ
What is
this plant?
It was in the
garden when we
moved here four
years ago, and
grows to 5ft (1.2m) tall.
Mrs C Watson, Dereham, NorfolkA
It is a dragon arum, or voodoo
lily, and in the same family as
skunk cabbage, Jack-in-the-pulpit,
and lords-and-ladies. It is a tuberous
perennial, and needs protection in
severe winters, and full sun and well-
drained soil. The flowers are short-
lived, but pungent!Quick questions
& answers
Q
What is this plant, please?
Brian O’Donohoe,
via emailA
This is
Maltese
cross (Lychnis
chalcedonica)
from eastern
Russia that flowers
from June-July.
Varieties include white
albiflora, flesh-pink ‘Carnea’ and
double red ‘Flore Pleno’.
To propagate it, divide the clump
into well-rooted divisions in October
or November and transplant them in
sunny, fertile and well-drained soil.Brian O’Donohoe,Russia that flowersVarieties include whitegrows to 5ft (1.2m) tall.Q
How should I care for this plant
and what is its name?
Yvonne Pope, Evesham, WorcsA
This is Egyptian paper rush
(Cyperus papyrus). It is
best grown in good light, in a
temperature of around 16°C (61°F).
It can be grown in a pond
between mid-June and
mid-August, but it
must be returned
to a warm room
or a heated
greenhouse
when night
temperatures
start to drop.Fresh compost and feed
can reinvigorate potted plantsWhat lavenders do you
grow? Bees prefer theBees are unlikely to visitfor pollination pull out all the stops
to attract their attention using
colour, pattern, scent,
distinctive electric fields
or any or all of these
in combination.colour red, but they can
see ultraviolet, so your red
plants may have patterns
or guidance lines on the
petals attracting the bees that
they can see, but that are hiddenhole to ensure that surplus moisture
freely escapes. After six weeks, liquid-
feed weekly with a high-potash tomato
fertiliser. Continue until September.Bees can’t see the colour
red, but are attracted to
blue, yellow and purple