Dear Joy

I find it impossible to make anything grow on one side of my front garden. The bed is quite dry, overshadowed by a large Beech tree and an established Conifer and faces in a northerly direction. Can you suggest any plants that will grow or would I be better just letting Ivy grow over it to cover the soil?

Susan and Mark, Ringmer.

One of the reasons your bed is dry, is because you have two big trees sucking all the moisture out of the soil, especially when the Beech is in leaf. Whatever you plant will need regular watering in dry periods for at least the first year and possibly through the summer in subsequent years.

Here are a selection of plants that tolerate shade:

Shrubs: Aucuba japonica, Skimmia japonica, Choisya ternata, Fatsia japonica, Hydrangea petiolaris (climber), Hypericum x inodorum ‘Elstead’, Mahonia aquifolium

Ferns and Tree ferns all grow well in shade.

Medium – large Herbaceous: Digitalis, Aconitum, Dicentra spectabilis, Gentiana asclepiadea, polygonatum x hybridum, Smilacina racemosa, Hostas.

Small/Ground cover Herbaceous: Alchemilla mollis, Ajuga reptans, Brunnera macrophylla, Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae, Epimedium, Hellebores, Geranium phaem.

Sorry about all the latin names, but if you are sourcing these plants from garden centres, you need to ask for specific varieties.

It is worth considering planting a good show of spring bulbs, mixed in with perhaps Hellebores and Arum (Lords and Ladies), these all flower before the Beech Tree produces leaves.

I have a very overgrown Buddleia, will I be able to prune it to a manageable size and when is the best time?

Mrs A Mackay, Lewes.

You have not specified the type of Buddleia, so I am assuming it is the most common Buddleia davidii or Butterfly Bush. If this isn’t the case or you are not sure, please get in touch as it does affect the pruning.

Buddleia davidii produces flowers on the end of the current season’s growth. Unpruned it becomes a leggy tangled mess of live and dead stems, with fewer flowers.

In early spring after the threat of frost has passed, firstly thin old and congested stems, cutting out at base any that are badly placed. Then cut back all remaining stems to 2 or 3 healthy buds.

Once the flowers have died off dead head to prevent self seeding and to encourage repeat flowering.