AngeTheUnsure writes

Hardy Geraniums - Cranesbill - Just cut them back for new growth, as
reached 4' high and leaning sadly to the side. Do I cut them back again
in October'ish?

They die back for the winter. Take off the dead stuff.
There's lots of hardy geraniums which don't reach anything like 4ft. Try
G endressei for masses of pink flowers through the season and good
tolerance of all sorts of soil conditions.

Rose bush - I planted it last Summer, it's called 'Rhapsody in Blue'.
He's told me to cut a particularly long stalk, saying It's a Sucker, as
there aren't any buds on it ... so I cut it and now discover according
to the 'Expert' book it probably wasn't a sucker...

Now you know that he isn't necessarily the world's greatest gardening
expert ;-)

It's worth at first leaving suckers until they get leaves. If the leaves
are like the rest of the bush, then it's probably not a sucker, if the
leaves are different (eg more leaflets), then it is a sucker. In due
course you will get to know your rose, and recognise the suckers at an
earlier stage.


See? Sooo many questions that I don't expect to all be answered here,
so if someone could suggest a GOOD book, I've a couple of Readers'
Digests that don't really go into stuff for beginners like me, the
'Expert' soft backs - got a couple of them, again not really for the
beginner.

Don't worry too much. Do what seems sensible, and observe the results.
Plants on the whole want to grow. Sometimes they won't grow because they
don't like the conditions (eg you've planted a sun-lover in the shade,
or something that likes to be kept moist on a dry bank), but if they are
growing, they won't usually die because you've failed to cut them back,
or pruned them at the wrong time of year. So just try and relax and
enjoy the garden, and don't let anyone tell you that there is only one
right way to do anything.

--
Kay