Question: What do you suggest to get rid of wild violets in my lawn?

        Answer: A spring applications of dicamba, also sold as Banvel, should control both violets and chickweed in the lawn. It is available at garden centers as a separate product or in combination with a lawn fertilizer. Follow directions on the label exactly because this herbicide can kill desirable broad-leaved plants.

        Question: We have tried every conceivable remedy for killing moles in our lawn and nothing works. I've heard about a “gopher purge” plant. Is it effective?

        Answer: The mole plant (Euphorbia lathyris) is an annual that grows up to 3 feet tall. Its leaves and seed pods are poisonous if ingested by humans, but gardeners tell me the plant does not deter gophers or moles.

        Question: I have a 10-year-old bed of Martha Washington asparagus. How long do asparagus beds last, and what are the signs that replacements should be planted?

        Answer: With good management, an asparagus bed should last 25 years. When shoot production is reduced and the plants become weak and spindly, it may be time to replant the bed. You can get more mileage out of an asparagus bed by feeding heavily.

        Question: I had an onslaught of Japanese beetles in my rose garden last summer. I used liquid Sevin, as directed, every second or third day. It kept the beetles at bay but the blooms were spoiled by brown splotches from the spray.

        Answer: Plant damage can occur when spray material such as Sevin is applied too generously or when plant parts are wet. The best time for spraying is in the morning, after the dew has dried and before 10 o'clock. Spray only until the liquid begins to drip off the foliage.

        Question: Why do some of the buds drop off my gardenia plant and other blooms don't fully open?

        Answer: Gardenia bud drop and flower failure are common and difficult to correct. Check your light exposure, soil, drainage and air temperature. Also, “disbud,” leaving one flower bud per shoot. Gardenias, or cape jasmines, need a rich, peaty, slightly damp, mildly acid soil (pH 5.5-6.0). Gardenias like high humidity, warmth and good light (but not exposure to hot noontime sun). Feed pot-grown gardenias with a liquid houseplant food every six weeks from late March through October. Always keep the soil evenly moist; never apply fertilizer to a dry soil.

        Contact Tim Morehouse at The Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati OH 45202; www.getmoregarden.com. If writing, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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