Dig up ideas!

It’s an unfair argument that you could not develop your garden’s landscape as you were short of space! A gardener who has the will and imagination can do wonders with any given piece of land. See the accompanying picture. The best thing that I liked about this simple but excellent piece of art is the space left for the pedestrians. And if at all the routine diggers come calling for routine digging for services,the owner is not worried as it will take another few days to repeat the feature. The plants used in this arrangement are golden Duranta and Iresin,the kalli patti. A piece of advice,keep the plants trimmed close to the ground and water them regularly in the evening. Even the iresin will not dry during winter,which it normally does.

* Q: My peach tree has suddenly started drying. The leaves have sagged down and the fruits have also started shriveling. What could be the reason?
Sunil,Mohali
A: This is due to rotting in the base of the tree due to water logging at one or the other time during one of these days. See near the base of the tree and you will find the main trunk getting peeled off and is black. As the peach is shallow rooted plant,it normally happens in their case. It also happens due to strong winds that follow watering as the roots get disturbed though it is not visible apparently. At the most you can remove all the fruit and add bavistin,dissolved at two gram to a litre of water. A bucket full of this solution twice at weekly interval may work.

* Q: The adenium plant in one of my pots had developed pods after flowering. Now the pods have split opened and winged seeds have emerged. Will they sprout if I sow them?
Sunita,Panckula
A: Yes,go ahead and sow them in shallow pots with soil sand mixture of one and one ratio. Keep the surface moist. The seeds will sprout in a few days.

* Q: A few days back there was hail and even Zamia palm leaves got damaged in my garden. The plant has been disfigured. What can I do?
Majula,Panchkula
A: I can only sympathize with you but wait for the time when the new leaves emerge to take place of the old damaged ones.

* Q: Is it too late to plant summer flowering plants like Gomphrena,Zinnia,Portulaca,Gaillardia and Balsam? I could not do it in April-May as I was away.
Satinder Singh,Mohali
A: Shed your fears and go ahead with your plans.

For gardening queries,Ask Dr Green at satishnarula@yahoo.co.in