Questions

Hi Gerry, I am very new to gardening so please excuse my ignorance if I ask basic questions. I have a small patio in my apartment and during the summer I started to decorate it with various plants/ shrubs. The place has come on well, however we have a problem with the corner of our patio which is very open (we are a ground floor apartment and people can see in when the come down the steps to the apartment). I have bought some trellis, painted it and fixed it to the railing. I would love to get some creepers or plants that would grow up this trellis and provide a bit of privacy on the patio. Could you suggest anything (especially something that might glow so late in the year?). We already have a potato plant (suggested to us) but this is taking forever to grow). I have attached a photo of the area that I am trying to cover. This is an old photo long before the trellis went up, but it will give you an idea of the area I am trying to cover. Many thanks

HiWe had our garden landscaped last january 2008 and asked specifically for a paper bark maple (Acer Griseum). As the leaves began to grow I had my doubts that the the tree we were given was a paper bark. I have included photo so maybe you could identify the type of tree we actually have been sold. It is not trifoliate as the paper bark is supposed to be. Miriam

We have a wet spot (poor drainage) which I thought to plant a few Alder trees in as they are good for such conditions, I believe. How deep are Alder roots and do they spread, as we have some pipework buried and I am not 100% sure of its location with regard to the proposed place for the Alders?

My neighbour has 6 conifers which back onto a part of my garden. They are about 20ft tall and he will not prune them. I don't mind the height too much but the trunks are bare on my side. What can I grow in front of them to mask them please ! I recently saw someone building a bank of soil on tv and planting into that to make their plants taller. Would this be an idea ?

We are looking to plant a dwarf weeping willow tree in our garden at school as a memorial to a teacher who has passed away. However when we look up dwarf willow trees they show a tree that doesn't look like a willow. We would like a smaller version of willow trees you see along ponds and in parks. Is there a dwarf willow tree like the huge ones and what is it's botanical name?

Hi Gerry, I am very new to this and would like to know what would be the best plants to buy for my balcony? I would like some plants that dont need much care and attention.