Question: This fall I have been loaded with a green weed. It looks like a rounded green thing. It hugs the earth. It does not seem to be killed by frost or lengthy cold weather. I understand that most weeds can be killed once the temperature is over 75 for a week, at least. I have bulbs sitting underneath this green growth and if I wait till spring I'm concerned that the weed killer will kill the bulbs. I would appreciate your advice.

Answer: You are correct; weed killers will harm the bulbs if used when the bulb foliage is above ground. I suspect you have chickweed or some other fall-sprouting, winter-growing annual weed. They are particularly prevalent this year because they grew so much during the warm December and early January. Your best bet is to pull out as many of the weeds as possible by hand. This is not as much work as it sounds. These weeds are not deeply rooted and a large area is covered by just one weed from a central root. They do not re-sprout from the root. So, you need just sever the tops from the roots, just below the soil level, with a knife.

These weeds die in the heat of the summer (about the same time as the last of the spring-flowering bulb foliage disappears but they drop lots of seeds before they die. Even now, chickweed has already started dropping seeds. These seeds sprout in the fall. To preclude that happening, apply granular Amaze weed preventer (or granular Weed Screen weed preventer) in early September and mulch with 2-3 inches of Tan Bark mulch immediately thereafter. Next winter you should have virtually no winter weeds.

Incidentally, if manually removing this year's crop of weeds is too much work, you can just leave them in place. The bulbs will grow right through. Then use the weed preventer and the mulch. Next winter's result should be the same as if you had pulled out the weeds.

Question:  Hello, in the center of my back yard is an arch. It is mostly in the shade - very little sun. Can you suggest a climbing plant that I can use this spring to cover the arch and also have blooms? Thank you.

Answer: I suggest the fragrant, fall-blooming Clematis paniculata. It will be covered in tiny white blossoms in August and September.

Question: Hi! I always listen to your show on Saturday mornings. I need help with gardenia care. I love gardenias but they don't last long with me! I bought couple of times big pots and small pots. They are fine at first with a lot of buds and slowly leaves turn yellow and they fall off. I followed care tips but somehow it doesn't work. Everybody says it is very hard to keep them. I just bought another one a week ago. I placed it by the window and made sure it is moist not soggy. Please help! Thank you.

Answer: Gardenia culture is not easy indoors. They prefer a sunny, cool spot with lots of humidity - not easy to achieve in the home. Coolness is especially important at night.

Some Hints:

• Repot the gardenia as soon as you get it. They are usually grown in too small a pot when you buy them. Gardenias do best in a mid-height clay pot, like an azalea pot.

• Gardenias prefer a light, moist soil that doesn't dry out. Gardenias do best in an acid soil. To increase acidity, mix in some pine fines or the contents of a couple of used tea bags into the potting soil.

• To increase the humidity, get a very large waterproof saucer, perhaps three times the diameter of the base of the new pot. Keep it filled with water. Place an inverted shallow clay flower pot (about 2 inches in diameter smaller than the saucer) in the saucer. Then place the repotted gardenia on top of the inverted clay pot. The clay will wick up the water and release it into the air surrounding the gardenia.

• Incidentally there are some waterproof clay saucers. They have been lined on the inside with molten ceramic (or glass). They come from Germany, and are attractive and not very expensive.

• Fertilize with SeaMate every time you water.

• Gardenias prefer to spend their summers out-of-doors in a lightly shaded spot.

Question: We try to listen to your program every Saturday, and we know of no other place that is more informative and patient with answers to questions. We will be moving from a half acre property to a much smaller property with smaller house and lawn. The previous owner planted three weeping cherry trees last fall, each about 6 feet tall and trunks probably 10 inch in circumference. One in front of house and two in back. I do not especially like this type of tree as those I have seen have grown quite tall - 30-35 feet. Are there dwarf weeping cherry trees and how would I know if these are dwarf and how tall would they grow?

We also learned, because of community covenant, weeping willow or any kind of weeping tree are not allowed so we will need to remove them. I would like to give them away to those who might be interested and would like to know if (1) could they be dwarf, and (2) would it be safe to transplant them now as long as the ground is not frozen and a suitable size hole could be dug? I can see little buds on the branches ready to pop out when the weather warms up.

Answer: Your community covenant restricting all weeping trees is the first I have ever encountered. I can understand restricting weeping willows, or even all willows, but not weeping cherries.

A 6 foot weeping cherry with a 10 inch circumference trunk is probably the dwarf Snow Fountain, which matures at about 12-15 feet. Snow Fountain blooms white. If your cherry blooms white, it probably is Snow Fountain - by far the most popular weeping white. To check the flower color now, I suggest you cut a few branches and force them indoors.

Your weeping cherry can be moved anytime the ground is not frozen until the new leaves emerge. Because these trees were only planted last year, you could probably get away with even later transplanting, if necessary.

Question:  I have grown roses and clematis together on my arbor just like all the books and magazines say to do. But I find that this is less than satisfactory. It's a lot of work to keep the clematis pruned so I don't have a tangled, messy arbor. Yes, I am somewhat of a "neat freak." I really like the combination of the purple clematis with the pink roses when they are blooming. Do you have any suggestions?

Answer: There is a way to achieve the effect you want, in a neat, low-maintenance environment. I suggest you plant clematis vines alone covering the arbor and place a low-maintenance, low-growing shrub rose at the base of the arbor. This will give you the combination that you like. The rose will shade the roots of the clematis and keep them cool. Consider the rose Lovely Fairy or the new Rainbow Knockout. Both are low-growing and could be planted individually or in a mass of three on each side of the arbor, if space permits.

Question: I have been reading about Meyer lemon trees. Do you have them? Do they make good houseplants? Will I really get lemons that I can eat?

Answer: We carry Meter lemon trees in our garden center, but we are sold out until spring. Meyer lemons make excellent houseplants for a sunny spot. I suggest keeping them outdoors for the summer. Meyer lemons do bear a good quantity of fruit, but they are not really lemons. They are a hybrid of a lemon and a mandarin orange. I find Meyer lemons to be better tasting (sweeter) than straight lemons.