Which trailing tomato should I plant in an outdoor hanging basket?

One of the best tomatoes for a hanging basket is a variety called ‘Tumbler’, which has cascading stems covered in bright yellow flowers and masses of sweet-tasting, deep red, cherry-sized fruits, which appear through the summer months. You can buy them as young plants from garden centres. For ease, use one tomato plant per 12in-diameter basket and hang in a warm, sheltered and sunny spot. If there’s room, plant a few French marigolds (Tagetes patula) and plain-leaved parsley alongside each tomato, as their scents can repel troublesome tomato pests. The parsley also has edible leaves and the marigolds will complement the display with striking flowers in shades of orange, yellow and mahogany red.

During the main growing season, make sure the compost does not dry out (a surface mulch will reduce moisture loss in hot weather) and feed the plants regularly with a liquid tomato fertiliser.

The builders of my new house laid a lawn before we moved in. There are now two large, irregularly shaped yellow-brown patches in the grass. What do you think is wrong? R Fraser, Reading

If the lawn was laid on an old building site, the chances are that the patches are being caused by buried rubble and other debris. The best solution is to use a half-moon lawn edger to make an H-shaped cut over each patch, carefully peel back the turf (after undercutting it with a spade), then dig down to remove the offending material. Afterwards, add fresh topsoil to level the surface, then place the turf back in position. To help the turf reestablish, firm it down well and give the area a thorough soak.

How do I grow a handkerchief tree in my large garden? J Hollis, Worksop

Davidia involucrata(also known as the dove tree, ghost tree or pocket handkerchief tree) is an exotic-looking deciduous variety that produces a fascinating display of flower heads - composed of two large, handkerchief-like white bracts that surround the small and insignificant flowers - in the late spring, as well as heartshaped lime-green leaves.

This tree needs time and space to develop, as it can reach up to 50ft in height and usually takes at least a decade to form the first flower heads. For the tree to thrive, plant it in a sheltered, sunny spot (or dappled shade) and fertile, reasonably moisture-retentive and welldrained soil.

Can you recommend a book on raising unusual garden vegetables? L Curran, Hounslow

One of the best books on this subject is Growing Unusual Vegetables by Simon Hickmott. This fascinating publication gives detailed information on cultivating 90 unusual garden vegetables, including Good King Henry, mountain spinach, soya beans, sweet potatoes and tomatilloes. The book offers an insight into the origin, history and uses of each vegetable, as well as full growing instructions.

Neil Wormald is a qualified horticulturalist. Send your questions to Garden Expert, Home, The Sunday Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST, or e-mail garden.expert@sunday-times.co.uk