Amateur Gardening – 29 June 2019

Ceanothus need the minimum of pruning

38 AMATEUR GARDENING 29 JUNE 2019

Q

Is it a good idea to prune a

ceanothus after it has flowered?

Adrian Baines, Woking, Surrey

A

Ceanothus can be difficult plants

to prune as they often don’t come

back from old wood, so we usually

advise to keep pruning to a minimum

and restrict it to the new growth.

Normally the best time to prune

depends on when the plant flowers and

whether it flowers on last season’s wood

or this season’s wood – prune in spring

for late flowerers on this season’s wood

and in summer for spring-flowerers on

last season’s wood.

Try to avoid cutting into the old

wood too much, and perhaps think

about staging the pruning over two

years to give the shrub a chance to

recover in between. Perhaps cut half

the stems back as desired, staggered

over the whole plant, with the aim of

doing the other half at the same time

the following year.

Write to us:Ask John, Amateur Gardening magazine,

Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park,

Farnborough, Hants, GU14 7BF.

Email us:[email protected]

Q

I love streptocarpus and want to

grow more from my plants. How

can I take leaf cuttings?

Meg Anstead, Beccles, Suffolk

A

The best way to propagate

streptocarpus from leaf cuttings

is to cut a leaf into 3in (8cm) sections.

Then insert cuttings vertically, to

Streptocarpus leaf cuttings

When should I prune my ceanothus?

Identifying a giant

Q

Please can you identify this plant,

which we saw on holiday?

Gerry Kaye, New Brighton, Merseyside

A

This plant is giant viper’s bugloss

(Echium pininana), a native of the

Canary Islands.

A biennial or short-lived perennial, it

can tower to 12ft (3.6m) and amaze us

with its incredible slender cone of

funnel-shaped blue flowers.

It is best consigned to a warm, sunny

spot on free-draining soil, where it won’t

suffer from waterlogging in winter.

Propagate it by removing rooted

sucker shoots, which appear in

profusion when the parent dies.

Q

Please can you tell me why my

healthy columbines haven’t

flowered from seed?

Mario Trabasso, via email from Brazil

A

Normally, when this plant is raised

from seed it takes two years for

flowers to appear. The fact that yours is

healthy, with luxuriant foliage, but has

yet to perform, indicates that it is

enjoying compost that is extra rich in

nutrients. It may, therefore, take a little

longer to settle down

and bloom.

Speed

blossoming

by liquid-

feeding

weekly with

a high-

potash

tomato

fertiliser.

Conundrums with

our columbines

Propagate streptocarpus using their leaves

Giant viper’s bugloss is a

native of the Canary Islands

half their depth, in a mix of equal parts

multi-purpose compost and perlite or grit

in a seed tray.

Water in cuttings and consign them to

a heated propagator. Alternatively, cover

them with a plastic bag and position

them on a warm, sunny windowsill.

Mist them regularly with lime-free

water. It’s vital keep leaves just damp.

longer to settle down

Columbines take some

time to fl ower from seed