Q: Can I grow salad burnet leaf, comfrey, angelica, wild strawberry, blue borage, red valerian, salad rocket, purple basil, lemon balm, chervil, catmint and rosemary in Karachi? If so, then when should the seed be sown and in what kind of soil? A: Salad burnet, comfrey, angelica and red valerian are cool climate plants and so are not suitable for cultivation in Karachi. You can, however, grow the other species on your list. Wild strawberry seeds should be sown in late September and if all goes well, they should fruit the following spring. Soil should be rich as they need lots of food.

After they have finished fruiting, the plants need to be kept in shade through the hot weather and moved back into thesunshine when temperatures begin to drop in late autumn. Due to the need to move them from sun to shade they are best cultivated in plant pots.

Borage, lemon balm, chervil, catmint and rosemary should be sown at the end of September or early October in pots/trays of good quality soil/compost, organic of course, and transplanted cither into prepared beds or individual seven to 10-inch clay pots when they are large enough to handle.

Salad rocket can be sown at any time of the year in reasonable soil/compost.

Rocket is best sown where it is to grow so either prepare a bed in the garden or grow in pots or other suitable containers. Spring and summer sown rocket should be kept in partial shade. If sown in autumn or winter then a sunny spot is recommended. Purple basil, or any other colour of basil, should be sown in good soil/compost from March through to the end of April for best results.

Basil needs lots of sunshine and can begrown directly in the garden or in pots.

Q: I planted some lime seeds recently and now have small, healthy plants which are two to three inches tall. The problem is that I don`t know what to do next. How much sunshine and water do they require, how can I protect them from insects and how can I ensure that they grow rapidly? A: Seedlings should be ready for transplanting, one per seven to 10-inch pot right now. Use a good mixture of sweet earth and organic compost and keep the pots in a sunny place. Ensure that the soil does not totally dry out between watering but, at the same time, be careful not to over water otherwise the seedlings will rot. Spray them with gar-lie water once a week to keep insects at bay. Providing that the soil/compost is good, they will not need feeding for a year when, providing that growth has been good, they will be ready to transplant on into larger pots or be planted directly in the ground in prepared soil.

Q: I planted an almond tree sapling outside my home in Rawalpindi. Its growth was tremendous for the first two years but last summer its leaves started folding and after three to four months they appeared rotten. There was absolutely no sign of any insect attack. The tree is not dying but its growth has stopped. Could you please advise what is wrong with it, how to save it and cure it`? A: Strange as it may sound, your almond tree is sulfering from a fungal infection known as `peach leaf curl` or Taphrina deformans to give it its correct title. This infection attacks all members ofthe prunus family and can be very difficult to control. While the tree is young all infected leaves should be removed as soon as you notice the problem and the leaves are disposed of properly as there will be fungal spores on them. All f`allen leaves should also be removed for the same reason although spores can still lie dormant in the soil. Spraying with an organic, copper based fungicide in February, followed by a second spray two weeks later and another in late autumn, when the leaves have dropped, is recommended. Mature trees are almost impossible to treat but, as they still fruit, they can be left to do the best they can under the circumstances.

Q: What vegetables can be planted in Karachi now?A: Ladies` finger, aubergines, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, radish, cabbage, cauliflower, French beans, courgettes, tinda and other members of the gourd family can all go in now as can water melons.

Q: What is the Urdu name for Echinacea? I cannot find it on the internet.

A: Echinacea is not indigenous to Pakistan and is a very recent introduction. As such, it does not, to the best of my knowledge, have an Urdu name. E Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com.

Remember to include your location.

Answers to selected questions will appear shortly in a future issue of the magazine. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail. E-mails with attachments will not be opened. The writer`s garden is not open to the public.