Ask Gerry

I planted a prunus cerasifera nigra about 4 to 5 metres away from the pathway of our house, so ca. 5 to 6 metres from the house itself. my question would be: does prunus cerasifera 'nigra' have aggressive roots (which I have read a lot of cherry trees do) or is this tree safe to have in this proximity of the house? Helga

I've just bought 2 Acers 1 Sango Kaku and the other Sumi Nagashi. Just wondered how far apart I should plant them? The Sango Kaku says it is fast growing but there is no other guidance

Excavation for foundation for a house and a retaining wall has been done as close as 2 metres from my beech trees which are close to my boundary. The trees are 60 feet high at the moment and I have been advised by my neighbours tree surgeon that the height should be reduced to 15 feet. This seems pretty drastic but will allow it if the trees could come down on his house. Could you advise me? The house is below the level of my boundary and the second storey is on a level with me.

I have an Acer brilliantissimum that I planted 6 years ago. Unfortunately not knowing at the time I planted it too near a wall. Can I move it and if so when is the best time of year? Secondly does it need to be far from the house as I understand this is a small tree?

My neighbour has a tree above growing right against boundary wall. it is 3 feet approx from my house.the pathway has cracks appearing last few years and in wall.moss also on pathway.the tree is approx 30 yrs planted..are roots damaging the foundations?.what should i do.sunlight blocked from garden.

I have 2 lemon-scented cupressus wilma that I put by my front door, which is south facing. I noticed that the exposed sides of the plants have turned yellow and looked 'fried'. Is this sun/wind damage? For now I have rotated them, but was wondering would the yellowed side recover, or should I trim them lightly? They do look rather tatty.

Can anything be done to save young Olearia shrubs that have become waterlogged due to the bad weather I had intended that they would act as wind breakers The soil is very heavy so slow draining.

We have a large septic tank (with associated scent) covered by a concrete slab about 3 foot by 5 foot in the garden. I want to plant around it using scented plants/herbs/shrubs trees. Do you have any suggestions.? I am hoping to stick to the colours brown/orange/yellow in my 1/2 acre new garden

We have just cleared our house site and I am looking for some advice. We have a large garden and I want to plant some trees - the ones I am interested in are Prunus Kanzan, Japanese Acer (Palmatum), Arbutus Unedo and Cypressum Golstrum. Would there be any problems planting any of these near walls as I don't want to encounter any problems down the line!! I intend to keep them cut to a certain height but it is the roots I am worried about. Also, can you recommend some shrubs which will grow to 5-6ft and provide some colour through the year? Any other advice on planting a new garden would be greatly appreciated!

A 35 year old monkey puzzle tree growing approx. 10 feet from our house and is about 30 to 40 feet tall - Worried about the roots and the house foundation, do the roots grow straight down ? Should we be considering having the tree cut down and if so should the roots be left intact or removed also ? Many thanks.

my beautiful Robinia was very slow to get its leaves and many branches died last winter. i had underplanted it last year with perennials . Did I damage the roots. Is there anything I can do to bring it back to life?

We have a corner of our back gargen that is very wet as there s a 6-8 foot back sloping to it. We have drains at the bottom of the slop but not hellping. Can you advise of trees, hedging or other plant that would be suitable to plant in such a wet area. Thanks

I planted two native holly trees last year and one has died. The leaves turned a dark purple underneath and then on the top, hey are also leathery. The second is now turning purple underneath and there are also some leaves that seem to have lost that firm feel that holly usually has. They feel soft like any normal tree even where the spikes are. They are planted with other trees and shrubs in a corner that was quite wet but has dried out due to the planting of trees that like wet conditions.

I have a lovely white azalea that flowered profusely two yrs ago, and since then when it flowers it looks as though its withering at the same time as the flowers are brown/withered looking in parts,some have brown centres before flowereing! any ideas, it is otherwise healthy looking and is now reverted to all green leaves again after flowering has finished.

I have a tree peony about 3-4ft high which has about 3 flowers on it. It is positioned in a south facing border with little or no shelter-is this the best position for it? I have another one for years and it is north facing and very sheltered and not doing very well?