QUESTION: Since we will be putting our house on the market around the first of the year, what sort of showy annuals or perennials can I plant now, other than pansies, that will be in bloom and increase my curb appeal in the middle of the winter?ANSWER: Pansies are your best, most dependable choice for color at that time of winter. I hope they will get good sunshine to encourage bloom. Plan to keep them watered and fertilized through the autumn. Set them out in October so they will be well-established.Other things, however, will contribute to your home's curb appeal. First comes a neat and tidy appearance with shrubs and the edges of walks and driveways neatly trimmed. Resolve to get the grass in as good condition as possible with overseeding, fertilizing and weed control this fall.All of this will contribute to the curb appeal that should make your house inviting to potential buyers.

QUESTION: All my forsythia's leaves are turning a little yellowish. Does that just mean they need fertilizer or what? If so, what do they like?ANSWER: If the plants are young, it could be a signal of underwatering during the long dry stretch earlier this summer. If these are mature forsythia plants, it probably indicates nutritional deficiency. The leaves will drop naturally this fall. Early next spring, fertilize the plants with a slow-release product such as Osmocote.

QUESTION: I have a lantana that is about three years old (it keeps coming back) in my front yard. It just seems to keep growing and growing and growing. It is now about 8 or 9 feet across and almost 6 feet tall. I have done nothing extraordinary to it, and I must confess, I haven't even fertilized it. I have a couple of others

in my yard and they are nowhere near as big as this one. My neighbors call it the monster. I'm certainly not complaining, I'm just curious. Is this a normal size for a lantana?ANSWER: You are one of the many lucky gardeners to own a mature variety of lantana named Miss Huff. Miss Huff is a superb plant for the hot, sunny Piedmont because it grows robustly through the summer, then, of all things, survives our winter. Then it puts on an even bigger show the following year.Tests showed the roots hardy to below zero.Freezing weather kills the tops though. A mature plant like yours should reach 5 or 6 feet in height by late summer. Think of Miss Huff as a shrub that renews itself each year, rather than a bedding plant.

Contact Nancy Brachey at The Charlotte Observer, 600 S. Tryon St., P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230.