Question: Is there anything I can do to keep this rabbit from eating my flowers to look like sticks? It has eaten the leaves and flower buds on a lily, my delphinium and the cosmos. It's a corner flower bed and I really don't want to put up a fence. Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks.

Answer: Spray your plants with Ropel. It works really well on rabbits, but a re-spray may be needed after a couple of rains.

Question: I believe that I read in your newsletter that one should not mulch clematis with wood chips. Why is that? If shade from shrubs is not available, should extra compost be applied as a mulch? Thanks.

Answer: You are partially correct. Wood mulch laying around clematis stems is believed to contribute to the worst clematis ailment there is---Clematis Wilt. This fungus causes the entire above ground portion of the clematis to suddenly wilt, dry up and die; although the clematis will often resprout from the base and sometimes even grow back to its former glory.

Compost should never be used as mulch. You can use shredded wood mulch or pine needles if you keep them away from the clematis stems with a collar. For this purpose I have used a plastic flower pot, with the bottom cut out, buried by one-third to one-half. On very large clematis, sometimes I have found it necessary to slit the pot down the side and put it around the clematis, rather than slide it over the top. If you encounter a lot of roots when trying to bury the pot around an established clematis, it may be best to let the collar sit on top of the ground, held in place with a bent coat hanger or earth staples, rather than damaging a lot of roots while burying the collar. Incidentally, besides shrubs, many perennials can also be used to shade clematis roots.

Question: I am a customer, and I ordered a lot of stuff from you this year. I made the mistake, however, of ordering my knockout roses from another nursery, which shall be nameless. They arrived bareroot, dormant and waxed and packed in plastic. I live in Vermont, so I wasn't surprised not to get them until May 16. By May 18 I had them in the ground. They looked good, but the wax made it impossible to find buds, so I just cut them back to places where I could feel some swelling of the canes. It is now June 14, and they still haven't even begun to leaf out. They seem to be alive but exhibit absolutely no growth. It has been cool except for about two days with temperatures in the eighties. We have had plenty of rain. Today I finally dug one plant up, and there didn't seem to be any root growth either. The wax isn't really coming off very much, and I still can't find buds. I cut them back again today, once more estimating where the buds might be. I also fertilized today with Miracle-Gro 10-52-10, which I would normally never use but which was recommended in the planting manual that came with the roses. It said the high phosphorus level would promote root growth. I called the nursery from which I purchased the plants and was told to e-mail my questions. Two e-mails spaced about four days apart have resulted in no response. I can return these roses, but I am hoping you will give me some advice on how to get them to leaf out. They are not dead!

Answer: We have not sold waxed roses for years; we discontinued dipping roses in wax about 40 years ago. I didn't realize anyone still waxed their roses. In Maryland, the wax usually melts away on a hot day, but I'm not sure this would be true in Vermont. But, if the wax is sufficiently thick, you should be able to pick the wax away with your finger.

Roses that are reluctant to leaf out can be encouraged if the procedure below is followed:

Lay a piece of cotton cloth over the rose canes with one end of the cloth in a bucket of water which sits next to the rose. An old T-shirt, a piece of bed sheet (double thickness) or burlap will work fine. The cloth should not touch the ground all the way around the rose: a small air space is needed for ventilation. The bucket should be kept full at all times. The purpose of this procedure is to make a greenhouse (steam chamber) effect: this will keep the canes from drying out before the roots begin to grow. A similar process commonly referred to as 'sweating' is often used in nurseries. Once very small leaves appear on the rose canes, the cloth can be removed, preferably in the evening before a cloudy day.

Discontinue the Miracle-Gro and use SeaMate instead. I would not cut back the roses any more. I am afraid you are cutting away live buds. If the canes are still green, I believe the roses will sprout out eventually, but you may have to wait several additional weeks. Good Luck.

Question: A year or so ago you suggested I plant Stella de Oro daylilies to cover the daffodil foliage. It has worked out really well. It used to take me hours and hours to tie all of the daffodil foliage in knots. Can you suggest a few other perennials that I can plant amongst my daffodils to camouflage the foliage. My yard is mostly sunny.

Answer: Three perennials that immediately come to mind are:

• Catmint  (Nepeta faassenii),

• Russian Sage ( Perovskia atriplicifolia) and

• Coreopsis verticillata grandiflora.