Planting some honeysuckles is like going out on a date with that nice girl next door, only to discover during the course of the evening that she's a serial killer. While a few, such as the sweet-smelling winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima), are bona fide treasures, others hide evil intentions beneath pretty facades. Two such beguiling villains are Amur honeysuckle (L. maackii) and Tatarian honeysuckle (L. tatarica). These deciduous shrubs grow 8 to 12 feet tall and wide and bear moderately showy flowers in late spring, followed by copious crops of red berries. The autumn berries of Amur honeysuckle are particularly seductive. Problem is, birds eat the berries and, by process of elimination, sow the seedlings. Soon your garden is honeysuckle heaven. So don't judge these plants on looks alone, or, to paraphrase former Soviet dictator and Cold War funnyman Nikita Khrushchev, they will berry you. (For sources of winter honeysuckle see below.)

Q:
My grandmother's yard has a beautiful peony. How can I move it without damaging it?

Amber Honeycutt
Asheville, North Carolina

A:
When the plant goes dormant and dies back this fall, dig it up, getting as many roots as possible. Choose a site with full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. Look for the eyes (large, reddish buds) on top of the roots. Dig a hole, and set the plant exactly 1 inch below the soil surface with the eyes pointed up. Backfill the hole with a mix of half original soil and half coarse sand or ground bark with a cup each of lime and cottonseed meal blended in. Water thoroughly; then mulch lightly. It may skip a year of blooming, but then it will do just fine.

Q:
This fall, I noticed round pods on the ends of the branches of my crepe myrtle. What are they? Do they hold seeds that can be planted?

Judy Minzes
Locust Grove, Virginia

A:
These are seedpods containing tiny, dark brown seeds. If you don't like the way the pods look, you can trim them off now. It won't affect the number of flowers next year. To grow crepe myrtles from seeds, crush some seedpods in your hand, and sprinkle the contents over bare soil. Seedlings should sprout next spring and summer.

Q:
I bought a clivia this summer and need to know the best way to overwinter this plant and get it to bloom.

Cassie Bickham
Charleston, West Virginia

A:
Clivia is a long-lived plant with orange (or occasionally yellow) flowers. In all but the Tropical South, take it indoors for the winter. Put the plant in a large container of fertile, well-drained soil. Don't repot for at least five years, as it blooms better when pot-bound. Place near a bright window. During winter, let the soil go slightly dry between thorough waterings, and don't fertilize. It should bloom in late spring.

Q:
I want to plant about 475 tulip bulbs in a circular bed this fall. Do you have any suggestions for designing the bed for the best effect?

Kenneth Hipp
Easley, South Carolina

A:
Place them in staggered rows. Plant the first row down the center of the circular bed, spacing the bulbs 8 inches apart. Then plant the next row so that its bulbs are in between the ones you just added. Plant the third row so that its bulbs line up with the first one, the fourth row so that its bulbs line up with the second, and so on. Then do the same on the opposite side of the first row. Leave 8 inches between rows. This will produce a full-looking display from all angles.

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Garden Letters Page 61: Winter honeysuckle can be purchased from Forestfarm and Woodlanders, (803) 648-7522 or www.woodlanders.net (O).

This article is from the November 2004 issue of Southern Living.