Question: We have a beautiful dark red maple but these huge roots keep coming up to the surface. We would like to plant around the tree to cover them but we were told (by a neighbor) we could make matters worse if we put any soil over these roots - myth or fact?

Answer: You can add topsoil, but absolutely no more than one half inch in the autumn and one half inch in the spring. You cannot grow plants in such a thin layer of soil and the feeder tree roots will quickly grow into the new soil. Thus any topsoil that you add would be solely for cosmetic reasons. If the plants are going to cover the exposed roots, you may not need to add topsoil.

The key determinant as to whether you can plant is whether the tree roots are so thick the plants will not thrive. I doubt that planting will do enough root disturbance to harm the maple tree.

Question: Hello, I wanted you to know that I thoroughly enjoy your E-Mail Question and Answer news. Even though I have been gardening for many years, I still get stumped. Now I have a question from a group of us here in Brooklyn Park, MD, Zone 7. It's about the live white Easter lily plants that we get for gifts at Easter time. We all know that they will not survive our winters in Maryland but don't know what to do with them once they bloom out, the leaves yellow, and fall over. I took my lily bulbs, that were large and in wonderful condition with a lot of marble size bulbs on the stems, out of their pots, shook off the soil, cleaned up the roots, put them in a brown paper bag with some sphagnum moss, and now don't know what to do with the bulbs, as well as the little bulbs that were on the stems. What do I do now? I hate to discard them like most people do.

Answer: The old Easter Lily varieties were border-line hardy in your area. In a protected spot, they sometimes came through the winter. All Easter Lilies should have been planted outdoors (with all the foliage) as soon as the flowers faded and the soil warmed. They should have been planted with the root masses intact, but with their outer roots broken apart a little and without removing the small stem bulbs. Easter lilies usually rebloom in the same year (late summer or early autumn).

Often, in Zone 7, Easter Lilies (especially some of the newer hybrids) will come through the winter. These will bloom a third time in late spring/early summer next year and again in subsequent years.

Further drying will only harm your lily bulbs more, as did removing the tiny bulbs from the stems. So plant your lily bulbs (large and small) immediately. Choose a protected spot in full sun or light shade with rich, well-drained soil.

Answer: I have noticed the same thing. Individual Knockout rose blossoms have very little fragrance; but the flowers are borne in such bounty that the cumulative impact from several Knockout rose bushes is indeed a garden-filling perfume.