QUESTION: We have a large, well-established patch of St. John's Wort at our home. It is healthy but makes few flowers. In spring we cut off dead foliage and fertilize with 10-10-10, and we water regularly throughout the season. What can we do to get more blooms?

ANSWER: You are wise to cut back the old stems of your St. John's Wort, Hypericum calycinum. Although it is usually less than a foot tall, it can still become spindly if unpruned. And because its bright yellow flowers form on new growth, the more of that the better.

Consider

doing a soil test now. You may need to add an acidifier like sulfur, which takes a while to work. H. calycinum prefers a pH of 5.5 to 6.8.

It also thinks highly of sunshine, as far as bloom is concerned. This plant grows very well in partial shade, but it flowers sparsely there.

QUESTION: What is the difference between winter squash and summer squash? I know them when I see them, but is there a botanical distinction?

ANSWER: Yes and no. Many of the best-known winter squashes, like buttercup, a Cucurbita maxima, and butternut, a C. moschata, have no summer cousins. But acorn, delicata and pumpkins are all C. pepo, the same species as soft-skinned summer squashes like zucchini, crookneck and pattypan.

Amy Goldman, the author of "The Compleat Squash" (Artisan), says that the key distinction is growth stage. "No matter what species they are, winter squash are always mature, hard-rinded, with a long shelf life," she said. "Their flesh is generally yellow or orange, and they usually have much higher starch levels than summer squash."

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.