QUESTION: We're moving to a new house in a couple of months and the back yard has a steep upward slope. We were thinking of planting a ground cover rather than putting in grass and having to contend with mowing uphill. My first thought was pachysandra, but I understand it doesn't do well in full sun. Can you recommend a low, evergreen ground cover that will take full sun?ANWSER: You are smart — right from the start — to realize that growing and mowing grass on a steep slope is not desirable. I'm also glad that you're not going to invest in pachysandra for that spot. It's a great ground cover, but not the best choice for open sun and the dry soil of a slope.One of the dwarf Japanese low, ground-hugger junipers, such as Nana or Green Mound, might be just the thing. They would grow about 8 inches tall, but spread much wider to create the effect you desire. There are taller junipers as well.Another choice would be mondo grass, a small, dark green grass that rises 6 to 10 inches and grows quite rapidly. There is a dwarf form called Nanus that rises 3 to 5 inches. Mondo grass is a smaller version of the more widely used monkey grass and looks good as an edger or, in your case, massed on a slope.

QUESTION: I planted an oleander bush last summer in a flower bed that gets full sun. It did great all summer, and died back in the winter. Some of the stalks and leaves are green. The top half is brown and appears dead. Can you prune oleanders?ANSWER: You certainly can prune oleander, and now is the time. Hopefully, the last damaging cold is over. It is important not to prune plants, such as oleander, that are highly subject to cold damage until early spring. Pruned too early, they could have new growth that would be even more subject to freeze damage.Even if that did not happen, pruning the plant back to the desired size too early means you may have to cut it back even more should damaging cold hit. Prune stems back to green wood. In your case that sounds like a lot. However, the stems may surprise you.By MCT News Service