Q Our globe thistle has spread with little babies attached. Can I divide it and, if so, how do I do it? Jonathan Merrells, South Shields
A By all means. Ideally, wait until late March or April when the soil is warmer and temperatures are more conducive to robust growth. Then carefully remove well-rooted offsets, as new plantlets are called.
Replant them 18in/45cm apart each way (or wherever you wish them to grow) in a sunny, well-drained patch of prepared soil. Ideally, enrich it with crumbly well-rotted garden compost or a proprietary brand of composted manure to encourage plants to excel.
Augment manure with 6oz/168g per sq m of