Each week The West Australian’s Sabrina Hahn answers readers’ prickliest gardening problems.

This week she’s explaining how climate change is affecting how plants behave, how to revive a storm-damaged hedge, and how to bring poorly plants back to their best.

To submit your own question to the Green With Envy column, published inside Saturday’s The West Australian, write to Ask Sabrina, GPO Box D162, Perth 6001, or email home@wanews.com.au.

Please include your full name and suburb. Due to the volume of questions, not all of them will be answered.

Off-season

Q I am really puzzled because I always thought daffodils bloomed in spring. On Wednesday, I noticed among my “mini banana plantation” four beautiful daffodils. Is this a sign of climate change? I enjoy reading the gardening lift-out.

Marcia Eisenhammer, Hillarys

A Climate change is having many effects on the flowering and fruiting of many plants; our winters are so much warmer, rainfall decreased and summer extends to beyond April. How plants will adapt to this is unknown but spare a thought for all the growers whose livelihood relies on growing any crop whether it’s grain, fruits or vegetables. The best advice is to start a garden diary and note when your plants are fruiting, seeding, and having growth spurts, and track it over the years. Planting times for our vegetables will also change depending on climate as the seasons are now very different. Daffodils traditionally flower in September but bananas are harvested anytime from July up north to March further south.

Spot of bother

Q I have an evergreen ash tree that I planted in November. I live in Ardath (three hours east of Perth) in the Wheatbelt. It now has black spots on the leaves — I feel like it is too young to prune. What would you suggest?

Demi Crooks, Ardath

A Your evergreen ash would benefit from a light prune to allow more air flow. Prune by a third equally around the tree then spray the entire tree with Mancozeb to try to control the fungal leaf spot. Repeat spray at the end of summer and always rake up fallen leaves to prevent reinfection.

Sickly shrub

Q I live in Busselton, and planted this native shrub a few years ago (I pulled out a rose garden and replaced with local natives). Now this silvery grey “tree” is looking awful. I have previously hacked away at dead branches, possibly too much? I can’t remember what the plant is called. Should I pull it out and replace? Grevillia and hakea thriving nearby.

Tammy Broadbent, Busselton

A From the photo it looks like either an eremophila nivea or olearia. It’s worth pruning back really hard to encourage growth from the base but this will also be risky as it may kill the entire plant. It doesn’t have a very good form; if it does die just replant. There are many eremophilas to choose from and olearias; it’s better to start pruning natives when they are young to encourage lower branching and a healthier plant.

Blown away

Q We live in Halls Head about 1km from the coast and have a boundary hedge of lilly pilly trees .The hedge faces west and before we had that huge storm a few weeks ago (90/100km winds) this had been thriving with all green leaves as in the second photo. After the storm most of the leaves were gone and we are left with just the sticks that don’t have any new shoots appearing yet the back side is still growing green as. We would very much appreciate your advice to try to recover them.

Les Nixon, Halls Head

A The hedge will reshoot once the weather warms up but it will require pruning back by a third, and trimming them all over, the sides and the top. After pruning back in August apply compost and manure, fertiliser with trace minerals, wetting agent and water in really well. This will encourage new growth and the hedge will recover quickly.