February 18th, 2022Glen, about the house

Water features in your garden

Whether it be a waterlily- and reed-filled patio tub on the terrace, a washed stone pebble fountain in a quiet corner or a formal fully-grown pond in the lawn, a water feature of any shape or size will add a new dimension to your garden.
Besides, a permanent source of water means your garden will never be devoid of birdsong but will bring about a noticable decline in the garden pest population. Even if the only water is a permanently topped-up birdbath.
As avid bird watchers we delight in the ever-increasing variety of native birds, like our friend Jacko, pictured visiting our birdbath under the trees outside our lounge window.
It wasn’t so long ago that it took skill and labour to construct a leak-proof, water-holding garden ornament of any shape and size.
Fortunately, in these days of pre-formed, moulded liners it’s merely a case of digging a suitably sized and shaped hole and dropping the mould in. All that’s then needed are aquatic plants and, if you wish, fish to deal with any mosquitoes.
A solar powered submersible pump can operate any fountains or waterfalls.

Hi Glen, just wondering, I am growing mint which looks a bit ill. It gets plenty of sun, but someone said it’s better in a bit of shade and with plenty of water. I can move it and water it more. Also my parsley started sprouting, then went to seed and is now brown/dead. What are the best herbs for a beginner to start with and do they need a lot of care? Louise, Musk

Hi Louise, your friend was right about the mint preferring a bit of shelter from the sun. Plant it in well-drained soil, in a coolish spot, with plenty of water and it’s virtually bullet-proof. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one to have trouble with parsley. It can be quite finicky and prefers to be in a damp but well-drained spot, otherwise they decide to go to seed and die off. I usually plant them somewhere near a tap, so they get the stray drops. You can deter them from going to seed by cutting off any flower stems as soon as they appear. Thanks for asking about the best herbs to start a herb garden. I’ll make that the main topic of my next column. Glen

Hi Glen, the year my husband and I moved into our house (2019), a gorgeous established plum, and the lawn surrounding it were simply covered in juicy plums. Sadly since that first crop it has not had any fruit, apart from a stray handful. It flowers beautifully in spring, but I don’t know what I do wrong. I have applied fertiliser and some lime this year, but so far, no success. Can you suggest anything else that might help? Andrea, Woodend

Hi Andrea, unlike a great many other trees that are self-pollinating, plums and quite a number of other fruit bearers need the pollen from other similar variety of trees. To add to the problem the process requires three things – the proximity of other like trees, lots of bees and calm, sunny weather for the time the blossoms are at their peak. There must be a suitable host tree nearby and calm weather at the right time, for the tree to have had that first bounteous crop. If it’s any cold comfort quite a few local fruit crops, including our own, have suffered from the lousy spring weather these past couple of years. You can improve the chances of successful pollination of all your fruiting plants by encouraging bees into your garden and planting insect-attracting shrubs and perennials in your garden. Glen

Got a gardening question: Email glenzgarden@gmail.com