Saga Magazine – August 2018

(^2018) I SAGA.CO.UK/AUG-MAG 109
Your domestic questions answered
GETTY, SHUTTERSTOCK, GARDEN WORLD IMAGES/MARK BOLTON
Your
experts
Val Bourne
Gardens writer
John Conlin
Chartered
surveyor
Pete
Wedderburn
Media vet
Garden
A
Pruning needs to be done
annually when the rose is
dormant – usually late winter.
Different types are pruned in
different ways. You can take the
stems of hybrid tea roses down
to 15cm (6in) in height; floribundas
can come down to 45cm (18in);
David Austin’s English
roses and all shrub
roses usually have
a third of their
stems removed.
Take out diseased,
dying and damaged
wood at the same
time. Open the
My rose bush is tall and leggy. How should
I prune it to encourage bushier growth?
A
Q
Home and garden
Q
We have received a letter
about wayleave for
a telephone pole on our land,
which says we may be entitled
to an annual fee or one-off
payment. What does it mean?
A
Wayleave is access to
a property granted by the
landowner. Utility companies
have statutory rights to run
their services over private land,
but they have to pay a one-off
sum for an everlasting easement
or annual rent for a wayleave.
The rents are usually small,
often £5 for a telephone pole. At
least four firms specialise in
wayleaves. You can also contact
the utility company’s wayleave
officer, who may make a direct
offer if no agreement exists.
Then, ask the firm that
contacted you if they can
negotiate a better one. J C Z
rose bush up to form a cup
shape, leaving five to six stems
intact, so air can flow through
the middle. This lessens the
chance of fungal disease. Feed
when leaves start to appear.
If the bush is still leggy next
year, it may be a poor variety
or it may be growing
in too much shade.
Dig up your rose in
either case and
plant a new one
in a different spot.
Bare-root roses are
cheaper and easier
to establish. VB
Property