QUESTION: I planted five dwarf gardenias last fall and they have turned brown. Should I cut them back and see if any green comes up? Or is there anything else I could do?ANSWER:You should cut back the stems to green wood, which is where the new growth will come out this spring. Here's hoping only the leaves are goners. This problem probably resulted from cold damage this winter, inadequate watering or both.When you brought them home and took the plants out of their pots, did you notice if the roots seemed wound around the rootball quite tightly? If so, you should have teased, or even cut, these roots away from the rootball. That would encourage them to take hold in the ground. Plants with tightly bound roots actually suffer from lack of water. This could be the case with yours.Start this rehabilitation process by pruning the stems at their tips. If the stems look brown and dead, cut back a little further until you reach green wood.I hope those gardenias are not planted where they get hit directly by morning sun. That is hard on plants like gardenias in cold weather and can cause the damage you describe. If they are in an eastern exposure with no shade protection from winter sun, consider moving them as soon as possible. But wait until you determine if they are all alive.

QUESTION: What do you consider the best method of getting rid of snails and slugs? I usually get the poison pellets, but worry they can be harmful to pets and children. I have too many slugs to do the beer thing. What else is there?ANSWER: I don't use any kind of poison bait on slugs any longer. The less poison gardeners use, the better.The beer trap - a saucer of the beverage set in the garden - is the best thing. Slugs love the smell, crawl in and drown. Since you have a lot of slugs, I suggest you begin the battle early. I've seen slugs in the middle of winter emerging from cracks between bricks.If you start early, you will reduce the breeding population and catch slugs at their smallest and least icky stage. Slugs looks for dark, moist places to hide and breed. I suggest looking around for places that harbor them and removing the habitat if possible.

QUESITON: My yardman just last week cut down my seven mophead hydrangeas to the ground. They were four feet tall and 6 years old. They look like monkey grass trimmed down. I know I will get no blooms this year. I am in shock. I want them replaced if you think I have only a small chance of getting blooms again. What's your experience on them coming back healthy when trimmed this severely?ANSWER: Well, the truth is, your plants will recover and look good again, but it will take all of this year and next spring to do it before you see blooms again. At the age yours are, the plants have strong, well-developed root systems that will produce vigorous growth this year.Some fertilizer would be helpful as they break out again. Every four or five years, I cut mine back drastically to get rid of the older, less floriferous wood, bring down the size and improve the shape. The results are always good.

QUESTION: I have an abelia that attracts butterflies by the hundreds. I want to keep it, but it has grown very tall, is out of shape and wild looking. I'm tempted to cut it nearly to the ground and let it start over. Would it and should I?ANSWER: It would, but you shouldn't. Cutting the plant nearly to the ground is too drastic a step even for a vigorous plant. However, you can improve this plant by cutting it back to a pleasing height, perhaps about 4 feet now. The new growth will bear this summer's bloom.You must do this before the plant breaks dormancy for the best results.Send your gardening questions to Nancy Brachey, The Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, N.C. 28230.