QUESTION: I was unable to plant several hundred spring-flowering bulbs this fall due to knee surgeries. Can the bulbs be planted in the spring here in Lewisburg, Pa.? - Mary C. Brumbaugh

ANSWER: I call this the Herb Clarke technique, after the longtime TV weather reporter from whom I learned it. It usually works in Philadelphia, which is not as cold as Lewisburg, so don't consider it guaranteed.

First, the bulbs must be in good shape, firm and neither shriveled nor rotten. And they need to be dealt with now, not in spring. Bulbs won't bloom without a cold period.

Select a site that is level (even an area of the lawn). Buy large bags of potting soil, spread about an inch of it, and place the bulbs on it - they can be quite crowded if you are treating this as a temporary location. Then cover with 5 inches of potting soil and water. If the site is windy or particularly exposed, mulch with evergreen cuttings, in part to keep the soil from blowing and washing away. In spring, as soon as they finish blooming, lift the bulbs and plant permanently.

QUESTION:

I brought a small plumeria back from Hawaii in January of 2004. When can I expect it to bloom? - Hannah Campbell

ANSWER: With luck, this coming summer.

Plumeria, also called frangipani, is the tropical tree with highly fragrant flowers that are made into leis. They cannot survive temperatures below 33 degrees.

One of the important words from the previous paragraph is "tree." In their preferred climates, plumerias grow to 30 feet. Many of the varieties typically offered for sale have been selected in part because they will bloom young and can be grown successfully in pots. Several printed and electronic sources speak of blossoms within a year of cutting propagation.

The rudiments of care include minimal watering in winter dormancy (after the leaves are shed); excellent drainage; low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer in the growing season; ample sunlight and water in the growing season.

In this land of organizations, there is indeed one for people intoxicated by plumeria, the Plumeria Society of America, based in Houston (where all its meetings appear to take place). Write to it at Box 22791, Houston, Texas 77227-2791, or go to its Web site, www.theplumeriasociety.org, where prompt answers to e-mailed questions are promised. A commercial Web site, www.io.com/(TILDE)jrm/plumeria.html, has all sorts of growing information; its authors also offer "regrets if you are not located" in a plumeria-hospitable climate.

Send your gardening questions to Michael Martin Mills, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101, or send e-mail to: Millsmphillynews.comBy KRT News Service