Our spirea seem spindly and kind of fall over, while others I see have a nice, tight mound shape. I think mine are called gold mound, but they sure aren't very mounded. Is there a special way to prune them? We prune out a little whenever they seem to get out of bounds.

Low, mound-type spirea should be pruned when dormant. Cut them back by one-third and remove the largest stems at the soil line. Every eight to 10 years, cut the entire plant off at soil level to rejuvenate your plant.

Can I prune my dogwood now? And I have honeysuckle that is about 10 years old now. I have heard that I can cut it off right at the ground and it will grow back again, but I have always been afraid to do that. What do you think?

Prune dogwood anytime when it is dormant, or has no leaves. But I prefer to enjoy the attractive red stems during winter, so I prune them in early spring before new growth occurs. Most hedges can and should be cut off at the ground level every eight to 10 years or so. This is an effective way to rejuvenate these plants. They grow back thick and lush the following year, looking like new plants again.

We received some evergreen seedlings in the mail last summer and the directions said to plant them in the fall, keeping them in the refrigerator until then. Do you suppose now is OK?

Evergreens planted in the fall here should be planted early enough to make new roots before the ground freezes. Generally, that means before Sept. 15. This is the rule for transplanting evergreens, but potted evergreens can be planted almost anytime in the fall. Your plants, because you received them in the mail and they suggested you keep them in the fridge, must be bare root. Bare root evergreens planted this late stand a poor chance for success. I would discard them and try again next spring. It might be better to purchase them locally so you can plant them right away.

We have an elm tree that is oozing sap from a crotch. Is this damaging to the tree? Should we be doing something to correct this problem?

This is typical for elm and is not considered detrimental to the tree. Actually, we might try to stop this from happening if there were a good practical way, but there is none. About the only bad aspect of this is the bleaching of bark where the sap tends to run, but this is only cosmetic.

Our lawn service people do just a real fine job at our house. But I have noticed lately that many of our shade trees have wounds around the base of the trunk and I suspect they are being caused by the trimmers used around the trees. Do you think this is harmful to our trees?

Yes, it is very harmful and, actually, life-threatening. Often the trees die very soon following this type of injury. Other times death occurs as a result of the trunk failing at or near the soil line during a windstorm. These wounds are at or near the soil line and rainwater splashing on the soil splash soil micro-organisms up onto the trunk. When healthy bark is present, these organisms can do ho harm, but these wounds provide a port of entry for rotting and decaying organisms to begin their work on your nice tree. I would definitely point these facts out to your lawn care provider, and tell him to keep up the good work otherwise.

Keith Stangler of Byron is a horticulturist. If you have a question for him, e-mail it to life@postbulletin.com.

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