QUESTION: Could you recommend flowers for my screened porch? I'm looking for flowers that have pretty colors like pinks, purples and fuchsia. I also want plants that require very little or no sunlight and can thrive in a small to medium box or pot.Screened porches offer enough light and humidity for several kinds of annuals to prosper. These include three kinds of annuals: impatiens, begonias and torenia that will grow in pots in low light.Planted in containers and tended well, they should perform as well on the porch as they would in a bed or pot outdoors in similar low light.The torenias and begonias could make a nice combination because their size makes them good companions in containers. All of these plants tolerate summer heat in the shade. One disadvantage of impatiens is they tend to drop spent blooms a lot. The torenias and begonias will simply require snipping off of their spent blooms.Add some green to these containers. The best choice is one of the frothy tropical ferns that are sold with bedding plants. Consider tucking these in to bring contrast, vary the texture of your planting and enhance the colors of the pink and purple flowers.Another choice is one or two orchid plants. Orchid plants bearing well-budded stems will produce a very long show. The popular moth orchid should do well in the shade you describe, but you would have to bring it indoors for the winter.

QUESTION: I have a terrible problem with squirrels and chipmunks and would like to save my bulbs before they are dug up by these varmints. Can you dig up tulip bulbs and save them for replanting in the fall? When would I do this?Now. The foliage is gone and you can dig up these bulbs, clean off soil, clip back roots and stray foliage and store them in a cardboard box. Put in some dry peat moss to absorb moisture and store the box in a cool, dry and dark place.Since you have a problem with wildlife, try this technique next fall. Plant the bulbs 8 inches deep, cover with about 6 inches of soil, then lay a square or rectangle of chicken wire over the bulb bed. Then cover that with soil and mulch. The animals will still try to dig, but the wire should halt the digging while allowing the stems to rise normally.

QUESTION: To cut down on the amount of lawn that has to be mowed and make the front yard look better in winter, I am going to start preparing some new beds for shrubs and perennials now so I can plant in the fall. I would like 1 or 2 kinds of shrubs, preferably evergreen, that will stay under 3 or 4 feet or that can be cut back to be that size without spoiling the plants' look. Any suggestions?ANSWER: You are wise to cut the size of your lawn and a mixed bed of shrubs and perennials has endless potential for pleasure. Think of these shrubs as way to help define the shape of this bed. If they will be viewed from two directions, set them in the center, either as a line swirling gently or in rick-rack fashion. That way you can plant both sides of the bed with perennials.There are many to choose from among shorter evergreens. Otto Luyken laurel rises about 3 feet, but spreads wide, to about 5 feet, and would be a good choice if those beds are quite large. Its shiny deep green leaves make a good background plant for flowers. Indian hawthorn, rising 3 to 4 feet and spreading 4 to 5 feet, makes a lovely flowering shrub with many varieties on the market. It looks good in mass, especially when the white or pink flowers bloom in spring. In full sun, this is a good alternative to azaleas, though some of the shorter ones could suit your space.The little gardenias named Radicans are excellent plants for this climate, with lovely scented flower in early summer. The foliage is good looking and plants rise to about 2 feet, spreading to 3 feet.