Q. I want to grow plants on the roof of our house in Karachi. The idea is to create shade and keep the upper floor of the house cool in summer. Please make some suggestions.

A. The fastest and simplest way to do this is to have a very strong framework erected — it must be securely fixed in place so that it doesn’t blow away during high winds — and cover it with climbers. The frame should be constructed with an overall height of seven to eight feet so that, even when thickly covered with foliage, you can easily walk underneath it. Erect the frame around the roof boundaries first: you could use strong metal poles/pipes for this and have them bolted into position. Next, erect crossbars, of the same material, fixed at six feet intervals across the roof. The areas in between these main supports can be interwoven with lighter poles/pipes so that selected climbers have plenty of frameworks over which to clamber. Grow individual climbers in suitably large containers, placed at the bases of the main support poles/pipes, encouraging them to grow upwards and spread out from there.

The pots/containers, as well as the actual framework, will be very heavy therefore, with human and property safety in mind, it would be best to ask an architect for advice on how much weight the roof will support. Plus, it may be necessary to protect the roof with a waterproof membrane of some kind to prevent the ceilings directly below the roof from becoming damp. There are many flowering, fruiting and ornamental leaved climbers and creepers to choose from, but here are a few ideas: Passion fruit, grape vines, Allamanda, Beaumontia grandiflora, Bignonia, Clerodendron, Quisqualis indica, Solandra maxima, star jasmine, potato creeper or, if preferred, you can simply grow lots of climbing squash, such as loki, torai and pumpkins over the framework for the spring and summer months.

Q. Last year, at my home in Larkana, I planted a pomegranate sapling and really cared for it with regular water and compost round its base. It has grown well and this year started bearing fruit but the fruit has developed cracks. What is the remedy please?

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A. Cracking and splitting of pomegranate fruit occurs when the tree has suffered water stress during the period that the fruit is developing. To minimise chances of this happening again, as soon as the tree begins to set fruit next season you need to introduce a very strict watering routine, giving the tree roots a good soaking every two to three days without fail.

Q. I am 20 years old and all the succulents in my room die from lack of care. Can you suggest plants for an Islamabad garden that flower, require little care and that I can grow in pots.

A. Oh dear! I am reluctant to recommend anything if they are going to follow the fate of your previous plants. Plants, all plants, are living entities deserving of respect and plenty of love. To deny them respect and love is, in the long term, to deny that without the world of plants, the human race would ultimately die out too. You have, however, taken the time to ask, therefore I suggest that you try your hand with a selection of seasonal flowering plants — these can be purchased from your local nursery which will have different selections at different times of the year — as these need little care aside from regular, daily watering in hot weather.

Q. I reside in District Sargodha close to the River Chenab. The climate is hot in summer and zero to minus two C on winter nights but seven C to 14C on winter days. Soil is sandy mixed with ancient river silt. Is it feasible for me to try growing olives here?

A. Yes it is. Please contact your local agricultural department or the University of Agriculture in Faisalabad for advice on specific olive varieties suitable for your locality.

Q. Is it possible to grow an olive tree in my garden in Multan and, if so, when should I plant it and am I eligible for one of the free olive saplings the Punjab government is giving away.

A. It should, with daily irrigation over the hot, dry months, be possible. Saplings are planted from December until the end of March. I really do not know if you can get a free sapling from the Punjab government scheme — it is aimed at farmers, not home gardens — but there is no harm in asking.

Q. I have a very handsome, 17-year-old tamarind tree. It was grown from a seed in a pot and eventually planted out in the garden of my DHA Karachi house. The tree flowered profusely twice and once produced two small tamarind pods. Please suggest what I can do to make it fruit. Not that it matters much, but I am curious, plus I love the tree.

A. Tamarind trees need a period of very dry weather, when flowering, for fruit to set successfully and I suspect — although I may be wrong — the high humidity which plagues Karachi at certain times of the year is the problem. Unfortunately, it is a problem we can do nothing about.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 13th, 2020