Q: I just located this site -- but have been a Southern Living subscriber for many years.

We have 3 tomato plants (in a good flower bed) which are over 8 ft tall but have produced only several tomatoes. They look healthy, get the morning sun and the tomatoes we have picked are good -- and look good. We fertilized with Miracle Grow for tomatoes.

Can you tell us what we have done wrong so we will not make that mistake in the future?

Thank you,
Naomi

Keith Walendowski is a hero. And because of that, he now faces 6 years in prison and an $11,000 fine.

Readers, do you have a lovely pond that you yearn to bury beneath a choking sea of foliage? Plant lotus and make it happen.

Q: I have several hydrangeas at our home in Wilmington, NC. Three summers ago, they bloomed beautifully, but last 2 summers I've had 1 or 2 blooms on each. They look very wilted but watering hasn't helped. Any suggestions? Kendra

Dear Steve,
I have always enjoyed you articles so much. Your sense of humor tells me that you would fit right in to our family, (wait--did that sound like an insult? Sorry.) You may already know this, but I didn't, and I thought it might make a good Tip of the Month.

When pulling especially stubborn, well-rooted, or thorny weeds, a pair of pointy needle-nosed pliers are just the thing. Punch the points into the soil, squeeze tightly and pull, or even twist the weed out. The pliers are inexpensive, fit easily into your pocket, and really save your hands!

Thanks for all the fun reading.
Carol Gray

Q: Dear Steve,
Voles have recently destroyed my 3 year old hosta bed. Any suggestions as to what I can do before I replant to avoid a repeat other than put sharp gravel in holes?
Barbara Kozlowski
Richmond, VA

Well, why not? They’re my feet, after all, and my wife won’t touch them either.

Q: In the July 1980 issue there was an article titled, Let Smilax Climb and Twine ( You were probably in kindergarten then.) That article referred to it as greenbrier smilax (Smilax lanceolata). In recent years (I don't know what issues) you have written at least two articles about smilax. One was titled Easy Curb Appeal and another was One Fine Vine. In each of those you referred to Jackson Vine (Smilax smallii). My question is what is the difference and which one do I want - and where will I find it?
Becky McFadden

The Grump has safely returned from his exciting, thrill-packed, ground-breaking, and totally manly rafting trip down the Grand Canyon.

Q: I am container growing beautiful & plentiful 'Better Bush' hybrid tomatoes. These tomatoes are gorgeous, bug free thus far, ripening to a beautiful red approx. 2" to 3" tomato that will NOT ripen on the inside. Slicing this luscious looking tomato reveals a green unripe not tasty interior. I live in eastern North Carolina and given our hot water these plants are being watered daily & the pots sit in shallow dishes to reserve the over-flow water to feed the roots from the bottom. Help? Thanks so much! Kay

Q: My bougainvillea vine was blooming when I bought it and has grown like a weed.  Someone told me not to water it too much so I've withheld water--still no blooms.  What kind of fertilizer should I use?  It gets some shade.

Q: Why do my squash plants have just male squash flowers and no females? Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and beans planted
in the same area all have fruit on them, but not a female squash flower or squash fruit to be found. What gives?

Thanks,
Loryn James

Q: We received a calla lily plant and we are unsure how to grow it. It was a gift from my mother-in law's funeral and there was no specific plant information given with the plant.

Do we have to dig it up each year?  Do we cut the flowers off to produce more flowers?  Does it flower year round? We live in Cincinnati, OH.

Q: My daylilies have finished blooming. Should I cut the foliage back or just leave them alone?
Thanks for your help.
Jackie Tubbs

A: If the foliage continues to look OK, let it be. If any leaves shrivel and turn brown, pull them off and throw them away. Grumpy

Q: I recently had four 15-year-old Bradford pear trees removed from my front lawn because they were encroaching on the utility lines and I had already had two to die. Prior to having them removed, one tree had sprouts all in the lawn around the tree. Since I've had the other trees removed, they are also beginning to sprout everywhere. I have not had the stumps removed yet. I put rock salt on the stumps immediately after having the trees removed, but this doesn't seem to have helped. How can I stop this unsightly, annoying problem and not kill all the grass or dig up my lawn?

Thanks,
J Masisak
Middle Georgia

Q: I have tried on multiple occasions to grow potted geraniums to no avail. After about a month, the leaves toward the bottom of the plant start to yellow and I end up pinching them off. The blooms remain gorgeous but the I can't keep the foliage up. What am I doing wrong?
Thank You,
Ann Nelson

Many books have been written detailing what a woman really wants from a man.

Q: Something is eating up many leaves on my bougainvilleas, hibiscus, roses and some other plants.
I have found some very small green worms on some leaves plus small white hard shell bugs.They are oblong in shape and the size of a pencil eraser and have a very hard shell. I have tried different store bug sprays and also made my own spray with Hot Sauce, soap, etc. Nothing has helped. Can you help me?
Also, my hibiscus flowers have been falling off too easily, most of them as buds. I noticed this way before the bug problem. I have tried different food for hibiscus but that has not helped either. I need help badly, before I give up gardening.
Mrs. Claudette Michael
Margate, Florida

Faithful Grumpians, it is with great sadness that must leave you temporarily.