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Dear Greg, I would like to ask you if it is okey to plant tomatoes, beans, etc in an area where the stepic fields drain. I want to change a few of my gardens around, and with the limited water this summer the area of the stepic did much better than the rest of my yard. I love to listen to you, with Ed & Mike, and very glad you are up and running. Thank you in advance. EW

Dear EW, Thanks for listening and the kind words. For the most part, there are no known problems with planting near septic fields. I would, however, throw out some thoughts. If a septic system is not operating properly and occasionally saturates or even floods the surface soils, I would avoid planting food crops in that area. General waste water and affluent can occasionally contain heavy metals from inks, dyes and heavy duty cleansers. Also if you wash out paint brushes or add other persistent chemicals to the waste stream, there is the danger that these residual compounds may find their way to the root system and possibly into the plants grown in the area. These might be rare situations in your area but are, nonetheless, grist for the mill.

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Dear Greg: My wife and I enjoy your gardening tips on WHUD. We have a 5 year old weeping cherry that did well the first few seasons. Two years ago it had scales and we sprayed it with Sevin and Volck oil spray. That took care of the scales and it looked like it was coming back with new growth. This year, before the drought, it seems as if sections are dying. Green leaves are curling closed and the leaves on the outermost branches fall off to the touch. A few branches are totally dead and the branches are even splitting bark. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks! I hope you tell a friend. It doesn't sound good and without seeing it it's hard to diagnose. First, if this is a valuable tree to you, you may want to have an arborist come out and take a look. My first inclination is that your Cherry didn't get enough water this year. Cherries are sensitive to drought conditions and I don't have to talk about what kind of summer we just had. This would account for the dried leaves and twigs. The splitting bark concerns me more. I would suggest getting a deep root feeding system ("Ross" is one brand) and soak the root system deeply (just water, no fertilizer) at least twice a week for the next two months. At the end of that time, deep root feed the tree with the system's fertilizer. Prune off any dead branches. If that doesn't work by next year you may want to think about the George Washington approach with your cherry....

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My forsythia is very dense on top but the bottom is just a lot of stems. How can I prune the shrub, and when do I prune in order to make the shrub grow dense at the bottom? I usually prune after the blossoms have finished, but this pruning is just on the tops of the bushes. Thanks for answering. Fran

Smith Fran, The best way to "rejuvenate" your forsythia is to feed it this November with a 5-10-5 fertilizer, cut it back hard (as much as 50%) April 1st and then feed it again with the 5-10-5. You will loose the blooms for that year but the shrub will come back stronger than ever.

GREG QUINN's Thought For The Day: "Heck is where you go when you don't believe in gosh!"

Hello Greg, How are you? How can I save a beautiful geranium over the winter? Respectfully , Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth, I'm well, thanks. The best way is to find a very sunny or extremely well lit area of your home and keep them growing all winter. Even if they don't do that great, you can take cuttings from them in February and propogate all kinds of clones. E-mail me again in Feb. and I'll explain how to take cuttings at that point.

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Hi Greg! We recently had to have 2 large trees taken down from the side of our house. An elm and an ash. They were dropping leaves like crazy and creaking very loudly with every little breeze. I hated to have to lose them for now I have lost shade and privacy. I'm wondering what would be a good replacement. I would like something that will grow quickly full and tall. Any suggestions? Thanks.

It's hard to make suggestions without seeing the site but here are some thoughts: Deciduous trees (like the ones you lost) offer great shade but only privacy at the upper level, not through the trunks. Evergreens offer privacy from the ground up but not too much shade except when the sun is behind them. You need to choose which you want. White Pines are inexpensive, offer classic evergreen privacy and grow quickly. Poplars are more of a classic deciduous type and grow quickly. Of course there are many other choices. Check out your local nursery or drive around the neighborhood and pick out trees that appeal to you.

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Greg, Every year it's the same problem! Part of our lawn located under trees starts off in the spring nice and healthy. But by early every summer it always just dies off no matter what I try. It does get afternoon sun, and I have tried shade tolerant seed. Aware of the trees' roots, I have provided extra water and fertilizer. I have also put down insect control in mid spring and again in early summer, and have checked for fungus - none seen. I'm about ready to give up and give in to pachysandra. Any suggestions?

Don I Don, Yeah! Go to pachysandra! Turf grass should never be grown under trees. It doesn't like shade (no matter what the box says), you shave off the tops of the tree roots every time you mow and it never looks good. On the other hand growing a ground cover like pachysandra or vinca or even just a nice mulch (almost anything except pine bark) will always look nice, require almost no care, reduce mowing time, inhibit moisture evaporation from the tree root area and hold down weeds. Ground cover - 5...... Turf grass - 0.

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Greg Quinn's thought for the day: If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!

Hi, I enjoy listening to you on WHUD whenever I can, I have a question regarding a soft shelled hickory nut tree. This tree is approximage 20 years old now. However, back when it was about 10 years old, it got hit with a bolt of lightening that went down a barbed wire fence near it. It has never produced nuts and my father believes it was due to the lightening strike. Is that possible, or do you think it still might have some. The tree appears healthy, but stunted in growth compared to what it should be by this time. Thanks.

Your story is shocking! (Sorry, it was too easy, couldn't resist.) I have about known trees that have developed anomalies after lightening hits and if I had to hazard a guess, I would also pin the blame on the "Sword of Thor." You might try feeding it the end of September and the end of November and again in April with "Super Phosphate" to kick start it's reproductive cycle (nut production). Let me know what happens.

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Hi Greg Will dead-heading a clematis help to encourage a second bloom? Thanks, Frank.S

Hi Frank, Dead heading always helps plant to push more blooms but is less effective on some than others. It may not make such a big difference with your Clematis.

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Hi Greg, Not only is my lawn like hay (from the drought) but now there are mushrooms growing all over it. Help! What can I do. Thank you. Help!

There's fungus among us!! Mushrooms grow from spores not seeds and as such each mushroom can produce thousands of progeny. The spores will sit on your lawn or wherever else they land and sprout into mushrooms as soon as we have enough rain and did we ever have enough rain last week. The next time you mow will take care of them.

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Greg Quinn's thought for the day: Confession is good for the soul, but bad for your career.

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Hello Greg, I have a small (4') white pine that I want to relocate. When is the best time? Also can you advise me the safest way to go about it. I need all the help I can get. Thanks Elaine Ferrand

Hi Elaine, If you can wait, I would recommend moving your white pine the beginning of April. Dig out the biggest root ball you can handle. Prepare a hole twice the size of the root ball and back fill with good, rich compost and soil mix, throw a few handfuls of bone meal and be sure to plant the tree at the exact depth it was growing (never deeper). If it's in a windy area, you should also stake it.