ASK DIARMUID

Q

I HAVE this tree/bush that I need to replant. It is beautiful with little pink flowers in summer.

Can you please tell me the name of it and how and when to replant it so as not to damage it?

A

I CAN’T be sure from the photo but it might be a variegated weigela which has lots of pink flowers in the summer. Normally you don’t see them grow this tall but it may not have been pruned in a while.

■ IF your houseplants are outgrowing their pots, now is a good time to pot them on. Choose a pot one size bigger and use fresh potting compost. If you can’t re-pot, topdress by scraping off the top inch of soil and replacing with fresh compost.

■ PLANT amaryllis bulbs (Hippeastrum) indoors in pots for spring flowers.

■ WITH epimediums, cut old leaves back carefully now to show the delicate flowers emerging, taking care not to cut the flower stems. You can also do this with hellebores, removing dead leaves.

Anne, via email

■ WINDY weather may have caused wind rock in your plants – roses are particularly vulnerable so check they have not been lifted out of the soil. If they have, just firm them back in gently.

Fences and trellises may also need checking and repair.

■

Try to dig as large a root ball as possible to minimise root disturbance – it’ll be a big job given its size.

Prepare the new planting hole, adding plenty of compost or well rotted manure to help settle it in.

If it isn’t a weigela and it’s an evergreen shrub, wait until around March and April when the soil is warming up and it will be better able to adjust to its new home.

Pot up amaryllis now for spring colour Add brown matter to compost, or it may become slimy and twigs at the base will help aerate it

CUT back old leaves on deciduous ferns to make room for fresh new growth in spring. You can also start cutting back ornamental grasses. Firm in loose rose bushes