ET

New leaf Kathryn Bradley-Hole suggests things to do in your garden this weekend

SOW some early lettuces and radishes in a cold frame.

Check the health of potted topiaries. Evergreens in pots frequently dry out and die at this time of year if their foliage is deflecting rainwater from the soil. Water them routinely and lightly top-dress with a mixture of soil-based potting compost and slow-release fertiliser, without piling it up around the stem bark.

When winter jasmine has finished its flowering, cut back the old flowered stems a couple of inches away from their base.

Repair paths, fences and gates before the rush of the spring season gets under way.

Lay manure or compost mulches over herbaceous beds, being careful to avoid spillages over clumps of spring bulbs.

Plant chitted (sprouted) potatoes into large pots for an early greenhouse crop.

Ornamental grasses that have looked pretty through winter must be cut back now. Shear off the old stems close to ground level.

Any answers?

Q I photographed a red trumpet vine on my Mediterranean holiday last year, to remind me to plant one (if it will grow) at home. My garden is reasonably sheltered, with both sunny and shaded aspects, so would it be possible to grow one?M. Phillips, Eastbourne

A You should have no problems growing this plant on the south coast, for it is reasonably hardy. It is a strong grower, however, and will smother a stretch of wall with green (deciduous) foliage and, in a good summer, orange-scarlet trumpet flowers. Enrich the soil with compost, keep the young plant watered in dry weather, and train it on to the sunniest wall that you have. Trumpet vines are available at garden centres from mid-spring.

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2001