Q&A with Glenys Woollard

I have cut down a privet hedge, now how do I stop it regrowing?

Privet can send up shoots from the tiniest piece of root left in the soil, so you will need to kill the stump. Applying a solution of 25 per cent glyphosate (check with your local garden centre) should do the trick, drilling holes in the stump first if it is more that 3cm across. After six weeks with no regrowth you can remove the stump or have it ground down, but watch out for seedlings.

Do you have some tips on growing a fritillaria?

As a group, these bulbs are known as fritillaries. Most flower in spring and sometimes have a disagreeable scent, though delicate nodding flowers make up for this disadvantage. In their native European habitat, fritillaries grow in damp semi-shade, and similar conditions are best here. Many varieties (eg. Crown Imperials) are not suited to warmer parts of NZ, but Fritillaria meleagris, aka the snake's head fritillaria, seems to be the exception and worth a try in most districts.

If you have a gardening question, email Glenys at glenyswoollard@clear.net.nz