ASK THE GARDENERS. Questions & Answers
Comment: You give us so many helpful hints we thought you might like to hear of an idea we used in our home. We seldom use our fireplace since, as a heater, it is very inefficient. My husband made an attractive wooden panel as an insert, to prevent loss of heat from the room. He then built an attractive planter with a metal liner and casters.
We filled the planter with sphagnum peatmoss (which we pre-moistened) and then placed pots in the peatmoss, up to the rims. It is easy to water the plants in the peatmoss and also easy to replace one that is not doing well.
We placed a mirror so that it reflects light from a bright window onto the plants. It is amazing how much this planter brightens up the room.
On rare occasions when we want to use the fireplace we can move the planter to another spot. Mrs. L.B. Twin Falls, Idaho
We appreciate your fine suggestion. We're sure many readers can benefit from it. Q Do you know the name of the rose that at one time was advertised as a living fence?
We recently purchased two acres of land in the country and would like to start an impervious hedge around it so it will be well established when we build our house.
I recall the ads saying the hedge would be ``horse high, hog right, and bull strong.'' R.E.M. Erie, Pa.
The name of the rose is Rosa multiflora, and it has small, single, white blooms.
You should think carefully about this thorny plant before you decide to invest in it. The hedge can become 10 feet wide, taking a great deal of space out of your property. It is almost impossible to keep pruned and may overrun other, more desirable shrubs in your landscape.
Barberry (if you want something with thorns), either green- or red-leafed, would be more suitable. A hardy variety of privet would give you a good thornless hedge.
Consistent pruning makes it thick and sturdy.
If you have a question about your garden, inside or out, send it, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, to the Garden Page, The Christian Science Monitor, One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115.
Doc and Katy Abraham are nationally known horticulturists.
