Ask Gerry

i have a large bed full of perennials that as they've grown i've realised are not in the correct positions i.e. taller ones in the front and colour combinations not working.. when could i take them all out and reposition them? i would also like to divide some of them while i have them out of the ground but this is not essential. many of the plants are only one or two years old.. CAN i actuallly divide them when they are still so young?

My Sweet Pea have grown over 7ft tall and are difficult to manage, is it possible to cut them by 1/3 and will this encourage new growth

I live in an appartment and I have rose bushes growing in containers. The problem I'm having, each year for the past 3 years, is that the leaves on each of the 3 rose bushes I have planted are being decimated by something that doesn't seem to hang around. It also seems to fancy the leaves and flower buds on the white lillies that I am growing nearby. I wonder what is doing this and is there anything I can do to stop it next year as it is too late this year. Please see attached photos.

I hope this photo is clear enough to identify - a sweet little plant that I think is in the wrong place but it bravely struggles on every year; if I know what it is maybe I can take better care of it. Thanks.

The second-last plant to identify in this garden, can you help?

We have been growing Hollyhocks for a number of years and they are a sight to behold , however, every year they get this horrible rust on the leaves - starting lower down and moving up, we usually remove the bad leaves, but can you tell us what we should do to get rid of this problem?

I have a herbaceous paeonia that does not flower. It is planted in a sunny well drained spot. The leaves are shrivelled with brown spots. Can you advise me please?

can hosta be divided in autumn?

My peony has finished blooming - its early August- and i wonder if it should be tidied up/pruned or should i leave it?

Can you id this plant for me please! I didn't plant it, but we got top soil from a garden centre last year and presume there was a seed there that's settled in well! It's about 4 ft tall now and popping seeds all over the place!

I planted a Phlox paniculata 'White Admiral' not so long ago, it looked healthy and started to flower lovely white flowers but then gradually and suddenly the flowers shriveled up and fell off. Some of the leaves also started to get a lot of black spots around their edge. Not all the flowers have died,...yet, and the plant looks sturdy. Just curious if I'm doing something wrong. Couldn't find any info about it on this site so i decided to ask yourself.

I am in the process of taking cuttings from perennials but am unsure how to care for them during the winter, especially as I live in Carlow which gets just about the coldest weather.

I have a little patch of lawn at the side of my drive that i would love just to grow ground cover plants in. do i need to take up the existing lawn or can i sow the plants on top of it or will the grass just grow up through the plants.

I live in the countryside & the farmer in the field beside my house planted wheat crop this year. All my flowers/fruit & fruit bushes have hundreds upon hundreds of greenfly. I have planted flowers which help to attract insects to kill the greenfly, these flowers have been consumed by the greenfly. I spayed with soapy water, garlic water, organic spray & harsh chemical spray-none have worked. My sunflowers are disgusting, there is more green than yellow, my uncle (who is an avid gardener) was amazed at the amount of them. The farmer is sowing barley next year, will this infestation occur next year too?

I have pots filled with marigolds and violas. Some insect is eating the buds of the violas, can you suggest a spray to prevent this happening. I keep slug pellets around the edge of the pot.