In Fielding Questions, readers also asked about specific apple tree sprays and commiserated about fake hosta seeds.

Pruning cuts are essentially wounds to the plant where disease could enter ... pruning helps establish a shapely shrub with vigorous, balanced growth. Most evergreen shrubs do not need thinning ...

Deciduous trees and shrubs and most evergreens respond well to pre-spring pruning. Now is your opportunity to reduce the size of plants that have outgrown their space, correct symmetry issues and ...