Question: I have a wonderful potted gardenia. It grew great this summer especially after re-potting. Many blooms. We're new to New England (moved from California). Gardenias grow great there. So where do I keep my plant for the winter? Basement near the window? Barn?

Gardenias like an acidic soil. One way to achieve this is to sprinkle the contents of a couple of used tea bags on top of the soil. Gardenias also prefer a humid environment. You can increase the humidity by placing the gardenia pot in an oversized waterproof saucer kept partially full of plain clear water. Place the gardenia pot on an inverted clay saucer (almost as big as the waterproof saucer), partially submerged in the water of the larger saucer.

Question:  I live in Columbus, Ohio and have very healthy Crape Myrtle bushes that I brought back from Tennessee and South Carolina respectively. They have been in the ground for almost four years and bloomed for the first time this year. They are so lovely. My question is this: Should I cut them back prior to winter; Will that damage next year's blooming? I also want to transplant them to a larger location. I planted them close to our home to give them protection. However, I think they are hardy enough to put out in the open now. What do you think?

Answer:   Crape Myrtles should be cut back in spring just as the new leaves emerge--never in autumn. Pruned in either spring or fall, next year's bloom will not be harmed. But fall pruning could negatively affect the ability of your Crape Myrtles to come through the winter unscathed. In Columbus, even the hardiest of Crape Myrtles will survive only in a protected location. If you do transplant them, do so only in the spring just before the new leaves emerge. Be sure to use Myke in the soil and spray the plant throughout the season with a combination of SeaMate and Messenger.

Crape Myrtles do best in full sun. I suggest you move just one as a test and see how it comes through next winter without the protection of the house. During the first winter, place a double layered burlap screen around any Crape Myrtles that you transplant.

Question:  Pansies never do much for me. The plants always have yellowish leaves and never really take off and grow.

Answer:  Pansies really benefit from an iron enriched soil. I suggest mixing in iron sulfate with the soil at planting or watering in the transplants with liquid iron. I like Chesapeake Blue as a compost to enrich the soil. I also suggest fertilizing at planting by mixing in Holly-Tone with the soil.

Question:  A portion of one of my perennial beds is occupied by oriental poppies. Can you recommend something that I can plant among them to fill the space that they leave behind after they go dormant? There isn't a lot of room amongst the plants. They grow large and shade the ground in between. I was thinking that an annual, like Cosmos, that I can start from seed after the poppies are finished might be good. Thank you.

Answer:  Cosmos will be an ideal choice to fill in the space where the poppies have gone dormant because cosmos will bloom in September from mid-summer planted seeds. Late-planted cosmos bloom on shorter plants than spring-planted cosmos, but you will have to do a little experimentation to see what height works best for you. Also, there is a strain of cosmos, sonata, that bloom on shorter plants than regular cosmos. The orange and yellow Cosmos sulphureus also performs satisfactorily from late planted seeds.