Cuttings are the best answer.

MY THANKS to the readers who responded to an earlier article about digger wasps, especially to Neil Robinson who has suggested that an alternative identification for my wasps might be the field digger wasp, Mellinus arvensis.

He also tells me that the female wasps excavate not one, but several cells at the base of each tunnel, each with an egg and provisions of half a dozen or more flies. I'm quite fascinated by what brings a response from you!

I receive just as many e-mails about insects, birds and fish as I do about plants, which seems slightly odd for a gardening column. I think it probably reflects the keen interest that most gardeners have in the environment.

One plant-related e-mail I did have recently concerned the pruning of a long-established shrub that was too big for its allotted space in the garden.

This is sometimes referred to as right plant, wrong place syndrome'; where the plant is a good specimen, perhaps with sentimental value, but is in a totally unsuitable position.

There are several remedies. The least satisfactory, in my view, is to try to prune the plant to fit the place; the result is usually a misshapen plant and a loss of flowers. It is far better to take cuttings or collect seeds, and to try to propagate the offending specimen.

New plants can then be established elsewhere before removing the original.

If money is no object, then away to the nursery or garden centre and buy a new one; think of it as like buying a new chair to replace a worn piece of furniture in the house.

Established plants can be moved, of course, and autumn is as good a time as any to relocate herbaceous perennials, deciduous shrubs and small trees (evergreens are best left until spring).

First cut the plant down to around half of its original height.

Then dig the new planting hole, adding some well-rotted compost to the planting soil.

Lift the plant carefully, trying to retain as much of the rootball as possible, and move it quickly to the new site.

Ensuring the plant is at the same height as it was in its original home, fill in around the rootball, pushing the soil down firmly with your heel.

Water generously even if the ground is moist, to wash the soil into any airpockets, and stake if necessary.

A large shrub will take many months to re-establish itself, so you must remember to water thoroughly throughout the following spring and summer.

Plants of the week in my windswept and rather soggy garden are Lobelia x gerardii Vedrariensis' and Penstemon digitalis Husker Red', both of which we grew from seed sown this spring.

They are perennials and will flower again next year, but nothing can quite match the pleasure of seeing a plant grown from a tiny seed flowering for the first time!

Jobs for the week:

Listen out for the weather forecast. Low temperatures may mean having to turn on the heat in the greenhouse, while frost warnings will mean protecting or lifting tender plants.

Lift bedded out begonias while still in leaf; put them in boxes in a dry shed or greenhouse to dry out and die back gradually. Remember to label them or note the colours to aid planting out next year.

Prune rambling roses by cutting down to ground level growths that have flowered this year. Tie in new growths as near to horizontal as possible, to encourage the production of next year's flowering side shoots.