Question: We have moved into a house on a little over an acre of land. The property used to be a farm, so I am presuming the soil is good. We are in southern Pennsylvania, zone 6. Thankfully deer do not seem to be a problem. I am sure we purchased more property than we can maintain. We also don't have a lot of time so we need low, low, low maintenance plants. We don't have a lot of money left, but I would like to have a pretty yard. Using your suggestions from last week I am starting on the foundation planting. What else do you suggest for the other parts of the property? One area is quite wet. I just want a tree in that area. I know that weeping willows grow in moist locations. Can you suggest anything else?

Answer: 1. Place and plant trees first. Most varieties of trees grow relatively quickly. However, big ones are quite expensive and little ones are quite cheap. So you might just as well let them grow in your yard, rather than in the nursery. Rather than scattering individual trees all over the yard, consider some groves or clusters. If you have a south or west facing patio or deck area (or even if you are contemplating one), I suggest you get those shade trees planted and growing before you plant the other trees. Choose your tree varieties and their placement very carefully. Tress are the most important and permanent part of your landscaping.

2. Consider masses of shrubbery planted in the distance on the perimeters of the property. Once established these shrub masses will require almost no maintenance, provide a huge display of color and help define the property.

It is fine to start with small plants; the key is the spacing. Most groups will be between 3 and 7 plants and you don't want to install each plant within the groupings so close that they crowd each other at maturity, nor so far apart that the weeds grow between them. Let the ultimate width of the plant variety you have chosen be your guide.

Be sure to space your groupings sufficiently far apart that some grass will be between the groupings. Don't plant more than you can reasonably water the first year if we have a drought. Above all, watch the placement of the groupings and the trees so that you don't plant sun-loving groupings in areas that will ultimately become shady.

Some groupings that you might consider are common easy-to-grow plants like: Forsythia, spring-blooming white spiraea, summer-blooming pink spiraea and Rose of Sharon. If you choose to use Rose of Sharon, be sure to choose one of the USDA hybrids; they bloom longer, have deeper green foliage and don't generate thousands of seedlings.

In most situations, the taller the plant, the smaller the grouping should be. Thus one grouping might consist of only 3 twelve foot tall Rose of Sharons, but as many as 7 three foot tall summer-blooming spiraeas. Some other shrubs you might consider are flowering Quince, Smoke Bush, Blue Maid Holly, Beautybush, Beauty Berry, Preston Lilac, "little girl" magnolia and Viburnum Mohawk. Also consider some of the other Viburnums, Winterberry Holly, Dwarf Korean Lilac, pee gee hydrangea and Knockout or Carefree Beauty roses. All of these shrubs that I have suggested require very little pruning and are long-lived. I believe that these clusters of shrubs will present a much more interesting and cost effective background for your yard than the typical wall of evergreens.

3. Because of your time constraints, I suggest you avoid time-consuming gardens such as perennial gardens, herb gardens, water gardens or vegetable gardens. If you would like more color, consider masses of perennials and bulbs planted around the trees, in front of some of the shrub groupings, or incorporated into the foundation planting.

4. For your moist spot, my first choice would be fruitless sweet gum (without the gum balls). If the spot is not too windy, sweet bay magnolia (planted either individually or as a small grouping) would be a good alternate. You can also consider a small group of winterberry holly or witch hazel for a damp spot.

Question: During the last couple of weeks, I have noticed dead straw-colored patches scattered throughout my lawn. Some are only as big as 6 inches around and others are almost a yard across. Do you have any idea as to what this might be and how to cure it?

Answer: I suspect you have nimblewill, a warm-season perennial weed grass. It spreads from seed and seems to be much more prevalent recently. It is essentially a clump former; nimblewill does not make long runners like zoysia and wild bermuda grass does. In the spring it will green-up and blend in somewhat with the lawn, although the blades are finer and more branched. I know of no effective selective herbicide treatment. Of course you can spot treat with glysophate in the summer and re-seed in the autumn.

From personal observation, I have noticed that nimblewill is most problematic in lawns that are sparse from underfertilzation and are too acid. I also suspect that lawn services with poorly cleaned equipment may be spreading the seed from lawn to lawn. Dimension crab grass preventer seems to be at least partially effective at preventing new patches of nimblewill from starting. I have observed lawns where generous fall over-seeding with a good turf type fescue (like Black Beauty), combined with regular fertilization, actually crowded out nimblewill almost to the point of extinction. It took 3 years of good lawn care; after which the nimblewill was reduced by about 80%.

If you want to stick to your original plan, one plant to consider is St. John's Wort (Hypericum calycinum), which has beautiful yellow flowers in the summer and blue-grey foliage. But in a tough winter St. John's wort is at best only semi-evergreen. Consider also Pygmy Bamboo. It tolerates the most inhospitable of conditions and will crowd out almost every type of weed; however it grows about 2 feet tall and it is invasive. I have seen it travel 100 feet under the lawn only to emerge in a flower bed on the other side. The good news is pygmy bamboo is not deeply rooted and relatively easily removed. Another possibility is Periwinkle (Vinca minor); but it may struggle and the foliage will severely yellow in a hot, dry summer. If you use periwinkle, include some trees. Baltic Ivy may thrive for a number of years (although it would be happier with more shade), only to die out in large portions from the combination of winter sun and cold winds. Euonymus is subject to scale insects especially in the sun and is going to require regular spraying. I don't recommend either of the last two popular ground covers for your situation at all.

I have seen Trumpet Vine used on a really rough steep bank. It is not evergreen; but a few plants spread and spread rampantly. So, trumpet vine covers a large area very inexpensively. The orange flowers attract hummingbirds in the summer and the only maintenance that is required is cutting back once a year. A really handsome choice is winter blooming hardy Jasmine. It has pretty yellow flowers in the very early spring. (They're not fragrant). Although deciduous, jasmine has green stems all winter. Jasmine will require some trimming to keep it relatively low and although it roots where it touches the ground, jasmine is a slow grower and large areas cannot be covered economically and speedily.

My first choice for a solid ground cover is a dwarf daylily like Stella de Oro, under-planted with daffodils. This is very colorful over a long period, but it does require grooming after the daylilies bloom and of course it is not evergreen.

Answer: Early spring bloomers like Witch Hazel, Forsythia and Quince are very easy to force. Just cut the stems. mash the ends with a hammer and put in warm water. These easy forcers can come immediately indoors and will usually burst into bloom in less than 2 weeks.

Mid-spring bloomers like crabapples, Viburnums, cherry and mock orange are a little more difficult. These shrubs should really have an intermediate cool period before coming indoors. Smash the ends with a hammer and place the branches in water in a cool (but not freezing) place until the flower buds start to swell. Then bring them indoors.