Amateur Gardening – 21 May 2019

36 AMATEUR GARDENING11 MAY 2019

Ask John Negus

Johnhasbeenanswering

reader queries for 49 years

Q

Thebloomsonmybeautifulwhite

camelliashrubturnedbrownafter

justthreeweeksof flowering.Whatcan

I dotopreventthisin thefuture?

Stan Addison, via email

Why has my camellia browned?

Seedlingfailures

Q

Someof myseedlingshave

suddenlykeeledover and died.

Whatis theproblem?

Andrew Barton, Scarborough, Yorks

A

Itsoundslike‘dampingoff’,a

rapidlyspreadingfungalinfection.

Overlywetcompostandwarmhumid

conditionsencouragethegrowthof

ungi,suchasthoseresponsiblefor

dampingoff’andalsoforrottingseeds.

Toavoidit, alwaysusefreshseed

compostandcleantapwater,keep

compostdampbutnotsoggy,andmake

urethereis good airflow around

he seedlings.

Q

Pleasecouldyouidentifythis

gorgeousplant?

Mrs Joyce Hall, Potters Bar, Herts

A

ThisisAlliumsenescensfrom

EuropeandnorthernAsia.Try

interplantingit withwhite-flowered

Veronicagentianoides. Floweringfor

muchof latespringandearlysummer,its

pinkumbelsarea joy.It is similartothe

uncommonBritishwildflower rosy garlic

(Allium paniculatum).

Mystery plant

Pale-floweredcamellias

canbelesshardythan

darkervarietiesandare

morevulnerableto

frost damage

A

Sadly,whitevarietiesofCamellia

japonicaarelesshardythan

pinkandred-floweredformsandare,

therefore,vulnerabletofrostdamage.

Infuture,whentheskyclearsat dusk

anda chillynightis forecast,drapeyour

bushwithtwoorthreelayersof fleeceto

protectflowerbudsandblooms from

cold-weather damage.

Removefleecethefollowing morning

whenthetemperaturerises.

Additionally,strengthenyourcamellia

byfeedingit withsulphateof potash.

Sprinkle1oz(28g)perm^2 overtheroot

areaandwaterit in.Applyit monthly

fromApriltoSeptember.

If youlivein anareawithhardwater,

yourtapwatermaycontaintoomuch

calciumandthiswillreducetheacidity

of camellias’preferredsoil and compost

overa periodof time.

Userainwaterinstead,thoughtap

wateris finetousejustfor a month or

two over the summer.

Q

Whatis thebestwaytosharpengardentools?

Elwin and Helen Humphrey, Teignmouth, Devon

A

Let’sstartwithsecateurs.Therearetwotypes:anvil,in whichtheblade

closesupona flatanvil,andcurved,alsoknownassideanvilorbypass,

whenthesharpenedbladebypassesa broadbladethatis notsharpened.

Ideally,usea fine-gradewhetstonetosharpenthecuttingbladeand

followtheangle,whichis about75°,thatwasfashionedwhen the secateurs

weremade.Asforshears,usea whetstonetosmoothth

flatareaof bothbladestocreatea sharpedgeone

TheRHSandBBCGardeningwebsites(rhs.

org.ukandbbc.co.uk/gardening)bothhave

sharpeningadvice,andlargergardencentresthat

stockbooksmayalsocarrygardeningguides.

Youcanalsobuya Multisharp 1501 4-in-1

sharpenerforaround£10,which is available

from DIY stores and online.

How should I sharpen my tools?

Dampingoffdiseasecanaffect

seeds and new seedlings

Alamy

Sharptoolscutcleanly

and are safer to use

Alliumsenescenshails from Europe

and northern Asia