Ask the Expert

Last fall, I saw a dark-stemmed vine with heart-shaped leaves and clusters of translucent red berries growing by the roadside. I saved some of the seeds, but a friend told me this vine is worse than kudzu. Should I give them to my worst enemy or plant them for the berries that birds will enjoy? NANCY OGLESBY

ROEBUCK, SOUTH CAROLINA

The vine you're describing sounds like Carolina moonseed (Cocculus carolinus), which you'll find on page 255 of The Southern Living Garden Book. It gets its name from the crescent moon-shaped seeds inside the beautiful berries. The vine does tend to seed itself all over, but it's nowhere near as invasive or destructive as kudzu. It's best reserved for use in natural areas.

We have a row of lantanas that blooms until late fall and then looks barren until it starts growing again the next spring. Can you suggest some companion plants that would provide flowers in winter?

RALPH STEELE

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

Lantana blooms when it's hot. What you need are flowers when it's cool. Fortunately, there are lots of choices, and you can plant them right now. They include snapdragons, English daisies, petunias, pansies, violas, pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis), and bacopas.

For the last several years, our yellow yarrow blossoms have been getting smaller and smaller. I've tried watering and fertilizing to no avail. Should I pitch them out and start over? KICKY STOVALL

LELAND, MISSISSIPPI

Fernleaf yarrow (Achillea filipendulina), the kind you have, isn't a long-lived plant in the hot, humid Delta. It needs dividing about every other year to maintain vigor. Do this in fall or very early spring. Dig up the clump, divide the roots into a couple of smaller plants, and throw away the old woody center. Replant in a sunny area with well-drained soil. Go easy on water and fertilizer. If the yarrow still looks bad after this, toss it, and buy new plants.

We would like to replace all of the existing shrubs in front of our house. The plants will get filtered sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. What flowering shrubs would you recommend? STEPHANIE BOUDREAUX

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

Try 'Shishi Gashira' dwarf sasanqua camellias. These glossy-leaved evergreens grow 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide and feature deep rose flowers in fall. Encore Azaleas might be the ticket too. They do well near the Gulf, come in lots of different colors, and split their flowering between fall and spring. You could also plant dwarf gardenias.

ACCORDING TO STEVE

Back when I worked at a nursery, a customer came in one fall and asked to see some "insidious hollies." I was stumped Did he want loathsome, immoral shrubs that stole money from old people? "No, insidious hollies," he insisted. "You know, the ones that lose their leaves in fall." Oh-he meant deciduous hollies, most of which are very moral My favorite is a dwarf form of winterberry (Ilex vertidllata) called 'Red Sprite.' Unlike the species, which can grow 6 to 10 feet tall and wide, this one grows only half as big, so it's good for smaller yards. In late fall, its leaves drop, revealing large bright red berries that last all winter-just when your garden needs color most. 'Red Sprite' is female, so you should also plant a male pollinator, such as 'Jim Dandy,' to get berries. Fortunately, one male can service six females Well, maybe that does sound insidious. -STEVE BENDER

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