Saga Magazine – August 2018

110 SAGA.CO.UK/AUG-MAG I^2018

Home and garden

Q

I get whitefl y in my

greenhouse, where I’m

growing peppers and tomatoes.

How can I get rid of them?

A

It would be unwise to use

insecticide on vegetables.

Luckily, there are lots of natural

predators and one of the best is

hoverfl y larvae. Use orange and

yellow fl owers, such as single-

fl owered French marigolds (left),

to attract adult hoverfl ies into the

greenhouse and nature should

do the rest. Keep the temperature

down by opening doors and

windows as much as possible.

Clear the greenhouse by the

end of September, ideally

removing all vegetation, to break

the life cycle of whitefl y. VB

Q

My

hollyhocks

have been great

this year. Can

I save the seeds to

plant next year?

A

Yes. You’ve

got two

options. Hollyhocks

grow as biennials

or short-lived

perennials. Many

perennials need

a period of cold to

germinate, so

you can sow seeds

straight after you

collect them. Or

sow seed the next

year from March

to July so that

biennial s have time

to form a winter

rosette before

fl owering in their

second year. Plants

may vary from

their parents. VB

Q

Our younger

male cat has

started bossing our

senior female

cat around. Is

this normal?

A

Cats are

solitary

creatures. As

kittens grow up,

they often get

fed up with

other cats. Make

sure each cat

has their own

food and water

bowls, sleeping

places and litter

trays, some

distance from

each other. PW

In brief

Q

The house next door has

been unoccupied since

the death of the owner months

ago and the fence belonging to

it has collapsed into my garden.

I’ve written to the late owner’s

son asking him to do something.

What can I do if he continues

to ignore the problem?

A

You should obtain three

written quotations from

reputable fencing contractors

for replacing the fence on

a like-for-like basis and send

copies to the son with the

request that he should either

arrange for the work to be done

or supply contact details of the

executor or solicitor who is

handling probate. Suggest that

it would be foolish to continue

to ignore your requests as your

next step will be to obtain

a County Court Order against

his late father’s estate, including

the inevitable extra costs that

this would incur. JC

Pets

Extra online

For more questions

answered, go to saga.

co.uk/mag-home

Have a question?

Email experts@saga.

co.uk, or write to

Home and Garden

at the address

on p7. We can

answer questions

only on this page or

on our website

Q

Sometimes, after my dog has just woken up, he

seems afraid of us and doesn’t want a cuddle.

Has he had a bad dream?

A

Studies of dogs’ brains’ electrical activity and eye
movements show that they have the same patterns
of sleep – and dreaming – as ourselves. Sometimes dogs
show external signs of dreaming – such as paddling
their legs. Other times they look as if they are sleeping
peacefully while they are having intense dreams, or
even perhaps nightmares. When a dog wakes up from
a dream, it can take two or three minutes for them to
fully realise that they are wide awake, back in the real
world. Respect his wishes at these times; leave him to
gather himself, staying near him so that once he’s fully
GAP PHOTOSawake, he can come to you for that reassuring hug. PW

Property

Garden