QUESTION: Are there varieties of Lisianthus suitable for cutting? The seedlings I purchase flower well, but the stems are always too short to be good in arrangements.

ANSWER: The native wildflower Eustoma grandiflorum, aka Lisianthius russellianus, aka prairie gentian, has been domesticated primarily for the cut flower trade. Most of the named varieties produce long flower stems.

But don't get excited just yet; seedlings of these varieties are difficult to find. "I don't recall ever seeing one in a garden center," said John Dole, a professor of floriculture at North Carolina State University and the executive adviser to the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, a trade organization.

The problem, Dole explained, is that young plants do not look like much, yet young plants are best. Cutting varieties will not perform if growth has been checked by dry soil, crowded roots or other stresses common in nursery settings.

Add the fact that plants with flowers are the easiest to sell, and you will understand why those who sell seedlings favor long-blooming dwarf varieties like Forever, Mermaid and Sapphire. And those who sell seeds are not much help; they too favor bedding types.

Seeds for a few cutting varieties can be found if you do want to start from scratch. But be warned that growing Lisianthus from seed is a challenge. And cutting varieties are especially difficult because the plants are day-length sensitive; you must choose varieties by bloom season and plan accordingly. Germination can be erratic. Seedlings grow very slowly and need lots of light, so a windowsill will not do - you need a greenhouse or grow lights. And the little dears are disease-prone, too. "If you look at them cross-eyed, they get root rot," Dole noted.

The best course is to keep shopping for plants named Laguna, Catalina, Balboa, Malibu (do we notice a trend here?), Heidi, Mirage and Tyrol. And if you ask plaintively enough, you may persuade a nursery to order seedlings, which are widely available wholesale.

QUESITON: Five years ago I circled the bottom of our 50-year-old Norway spruce with hostas. When one refused to grow larger I replaced it. But the replacement has the same problem. It's not sick, just tiny. What could be wrong with that spot?

ANSWER: You do not say the roots of the runt looked diseased or eaten, so the problem is unlikely to be something attacking them. An aggressive spruce root could be sucking up all the water and nutrients. There might be a small patch of pure clay, which holds too much water and too little air to support decent plant growth. Or it might be so shady there that even a hosta cannot thrive.

QUESTION: Now that tropicals are all the rage, I'm wondering how they rate with deer. Are they a favorite food or too unusual to be of interest?

ANSWER: Tulips and corn are seldom found in the North American woods. Yet deer have become all too interested in these unusual foods. Banana leaves may be new now, but before long deer will try them.

They may or may not keep eating. With tropicals as with all else, deer have their preferences. Caladiums, for instance, are chewed more often than brugmansias. Canna leaves are seldom bothered, though flower buds may be nipped.

As usual, the hungrier they are, the more cosmopolitan their tastes. But tropicals have one big advantage: they are outdoors only in summer, when there is plenty else to eat.

QUESTION: Five years ago, I planted Jaune Desprez, a climbing rose with buff and yellow blooms. It had a few flowers the first year and more the next. Then it turned weak and stopped flowering. After I fed it this spring, it came roaring back, but the flowers are a dark velvety red. I don't mind - they look terrific - but how could this happen?

ANSWER: Jaune Desprez, a.k.a. Desprez a Fleur Jaune, is a cross between a tea and a noisette. Rough translation, "Don't try this up north." Though some catalogs say it is hardy to Zone 6, it much prefers life in Zone 8 and warmer. Your delicate beauty made it through a few comparatively mild winters, then died. But the story did not end there because yours was a grafted plant. The rose on top was Mademoiselle Fragile, but the roots and the plant you have now is Dr. Huey, a much sturdier character.

Dr. Huey can be found all over the country. Gardeners who planted something else are often won over by the easy grace of this old-fashioned rambler. And because it can survive without care it is a familiar sight in cemeteries and abandoned yards.

Unlike Jaune Desprez, it is a once-bloomer, but the show is spectacular while it lasts (usually about a month). Starting in midspring or early summer, the long arching canes are covered with clusters of black-red buds, which open to gold-centered flowers.

As long as you are happy with Dr. Huey, everything is rosy. If you want to try another Jaune Desprez, improve your chances by planting one that has been grown on its own roots instead of being grafted. When it dies to the ground, as it probably will, it can still come back as itself.

Address questions to Garden Q& A, The New York Times, 229 W. 43rd St., New York, NY 10036, or by e-mail to gardening@nytimes.com. Those of general interest will be published.