Q. I live in Lahore and need to grow some plants on a narrow strip that does not get sunlight. The plants need to be tall to give privacy from the neighbours. What do you suggest?

A. Philodendron is your best bet but you will need to keep the plants trimmed as they can be bushy.

Q. I have a Bougainvillea spectabilis in my Abbottabad garden but it has not flowered. Is this because of the weather or something else?

A. Lack of flowering can be caused by a number of things: overwatering or overfeeding results in masses of new growth but no flowers. They need very little water (obviously there is nothing to be done about rain) and flourish in well-drained poor soil (soil that is lacking in organic matter and nutrients) in a position with lots and lots of sunshine. I believe that Abbottabad had a rather wet spring with a late cold spell and this could have delayed flowering. Hopefully, if necessary changes are introduced, it should burst into bloom in the not too distant future. If this doesn’t happen and if the plant is a well-established one, prune all long growth back after the summer monsoon and please be patient until next year.

Q. How can a person tell if seeds are new or old? I purchase seeds from Empress Market in Karachi; sometimes they grow but mostly they do not.

A. Seeds sold in sealed packets should have both the packing date and the expiry date stamped on them. Check this before buying. If the seeds have been re-packed by the vendor, ask to see the bulk tin that they were re-packed from and check the dates on that. It can be better to pay slightly more for foil-packed, air-tight, imported seeds than to depend on locally re-packed ones in paper packets as the latter quickly dry out.

Non-germination of seeds can be due to expired seed but it is always possible that suitable growing conditions for each particular species have not been closely followed. Seeds can be surprisingly fussy about germination conditions. Give the matter some thought, buy wisely and take extra care so that you have an improved chance of success.

Q. My mother and I are gardening enthusiasts but I have a dust and pollen allergy. Our new home in Faisalabad has a garden and now I want to beautify it with flowers. Can you recommend some that will not provoke my allergy?

A. Roses, antirrhinums, carnations, geraniums, clematis, verbena, salvias, begonias, pansies, iris, petunias and zinnias all have very little airborne pollen so are considered ‘safe’ for those suffering from pollen allergies.

Q. I wish to plant trees around my neighbourhood and elsewhere in Islamabad. Which species do you recommend? Preferably ones that are easy to find, would not produce pollen allergies, would be aesthetically pleasing and grow quickly. I was thinking of jacarandas. Will they meet these criteria?

A. Jacarandas are indeed beautiful but do remember that they grow into huge trees with equally huge root systems that can damage/break underground pipelines, boundary walls, building foundations, footpaths and even roads. As you are not planting on your own land, please do get planting permission from the local authorities and request a list of approved tree species from them before going ahead. It would be awful if you bought the trees, planted them and then they were all ripped out!

Q. What is lemon balm plant called in Urdu?

A. Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) does not have any Urdu name that I am aware of.

Q. We recently decided to have a lawn, and so cleared our courtyard of bricks and concrete. We were left with a one -foot-deep space below which is soil. I want to grow grass from seed so filled the area with the usual chtti mitti (locally available soil) from Rawalpindi, along with river soil at a ratio of 2:1. The problem is that the river soil is on top of the other soil without being mixed. I plan to sow Bermuda grass seeds but don’t know when to do this.

A. You really need to mix a decent amount of old, well-rotted, manure into the top six inches of soil, rake it level, firm it down and rake again before sowing your grass seed. I am of the opinion that lawns should be completely banned as they waste a huge amount of water that could be far better utilised to grow food in a country where a high percentage of children are malnourished and in which many homes still have no water at all. But, if you insist on a lawn, sow seed on a dry day, just before the summer monsoon breaks.

Q. Can I grow a cheeku tree in Hyderabad?

A. Yes, you can.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened. Commercial enquiries will be ignored.

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 23rd, 2019