Ask Gerry

we have a wet site, even after draining. any ideas as to what to plant?

My copper beech leaves have been turning yellow for quite a few months now and it just generally looks dull and hasn't grown at all this year.. could it be that its roots are too constrained in the bed its in?

We have a copper beech hedge which did not grow any leaves this year. It is just over a year old and was quite mature when planted (4 ft high). The buds appeared this Spring but the leaves never grew, and many of the buds appear to have died off. In most cases the plants have sap (as evidenced by scratching the stem and revealing green) which indicates to me that they are living?? Please advise as there are many opinions but I really don't know what is correct. The soil is well drained and these plants were in full leaf last summer?

I have a pieris in the garden for roughly four years and it does not seem to have grown. There is new growth beginning which has bright red leaves. The old leaves are a yellow colour and it has never flowered. It is planted in the front of the garden which gets full sun. I have a south west facing garden. Perhaps this is the reason as I have another pieris which is in partial shade in a pot in the front of the house and has flowered and is doing well. Should I move it and when would be the best time.

I had two beautiful Clematis Montana grandiflora (CM Alba) planted three years ago. Up to this year the two of them were growing well with a beautiful fragrance, then this spring one of them didn't grow any leaves etc, and I think it was because of a dog that moved in next door about 6 months ago, and possibly used the soil at the other side of the fence for a toilet. Is there any point of planting another Clematis, or has the soil been destroyed. If I plant another clematis Is there anything I could add to the soil to prevent the same happening?

We planted a beech hedge 10 years ago and it was doing really well. About 2/3 years ago the middle section started to look as if it was struggling and the buds got smaller and leaves more scant until now a number of trees are completely dead - but no sign of disease on the roots - they just look rotten. The rest of the hedge seems to be going the same way - any ideas what the problem might be? Can the rest of the hedge be saved? Should we dig all up and start anew??

I recently got a magnolia susan. I have alkaline soil. Can I still plant it in the garden or I am better off leaving it in the pot?

Are there any types of hydrangea, besides white ones, that maintain the same colour irrespective of whether the soil is acid or alkaline?

I am doing a project on Soil Types. Is there any electronic database available where areas in Ireland are identified by their soil types (e.g. Latitude, Longitude, Soil Type ). If not, is there any hard copy publication available whcih identifes areas by soil type.

My Beech trees planted 15 years ago are dying! I have lost 2 to 3 in the last 5 years for no apparent reason?

In a proposed new garden there is no soil at all presently, just hardcore, stone etc, which will be excavated/moved to the required levels etc and then covered with fresh topsoil. I have access to as much good quality topsoil as I want with the additional option of manure etc as I need. Could you confirm the ideal topsoil depth for normal shrub, small tree, flower garden please?

We removed a large hill from the rear of our garden as the front garden & the septic tank was filling with rain water, and the water from the hill. So we raised the level of our garden all over with a slight fall. Since doing this the area to the left & right is quite wet which is not our garden but a field. My question is this thoughBecause the field to the left & right are now kinda flooded do I plant up our garden with boggy type plants or what? And will tree's grow there as we are supposed to plant the boundaries with tress/hedges?

My front garden is south facing and very exposed to the wind. The soil is acidic, but very peaty which tends to dry out quickly. I want to put either farmyard manure, top soil or bark to retain the moisture but I need to keep the ph of the soil below 7 as I have a number of acid loving plants. All three products I will be buying in the local garden centre. Is there any of those products that you would recommend or is there another product which would be more suitable?

Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea', purchased five years ago, in flower, has not flowered since, and gas hardly grown. The leading shoot has died off but the rest looks healthy. Shaded for part of the day by other trees. Well drained soil. Should I move it to more sunshine? Why does it not flower?

Gerry, Is there anything I can plant to help alliviate this problem?