Q: Will Australian tree ferns grow in Atlanta? My niece says she wants one for her birthday.

CANDACE LANG, e-mail

Walter Reeves / Special (ENLARGE)

Australian tree ferns grow better in Florida.

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A: I've seen them labeled as a "hardy perennial" when sold at local home improvement stores, but they are only hardy to a few degrees below freezing. They do very well in South Florida. Ask your niece if she would be satisfied with autumn fern or lady fern. Both are quite hardy and perennial in Atlanta.

Q: Is there anything that I can do to prevent squirrels from digging up my bulbs that I plant this fall?

ELLEN HEILIG, Snellville

A: The easiest thing to do is plant the bulbs and then cover the spot with 1-inch mesh chicken wire. Anchor the wire to the ground with a few 6-inch-long, V-shaped wires cut from a coat hanger. Cover the wire with mulch to hide it.

Q: When is the best time to trim my Encore azaleas? They have long shoots with few blooms and they are too bushy and large.

MICHAEL MARK, e-mail

A: The best time to prune re-blooming azaleas is after the first big flush of flowers in April. In this way there will be plenty of time for new buds to form for subsequent fall flowering. You can do occasional shaping and tipping to keep the plant formed nicely at any time.

Q: I used air conditioner condensation for watering this summer, but now that we don't need air conditioning we are recycling rainwater off our pool cover. We siphon the water into buckets and place plastic over the top to keep out bugs. How long will the water be usable before it becomes stagnant?

SANDY NORMAN, Rockmart

A: Water becomes stagnant when organic matter, like dust and pine straw, decomposes in it. However, if you use the water frequently it never has a chance to become stagnant. Even so, plants don't mind being watered with stagnant water. You can always add 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops) of household bleach for each gallon of water to disinfect it.

Q: I have a 'Yoshino'cryptomeria planted in my apple orchard. Is that a bad thing? I had read that planting flowering quince near an orchard is not good.

GAIL FOSTER, Walker County

A: Although cryptomeria and juniper are both members of the Cypress family, only junipers are hosts for the cedar-apple rust disease that infects apples. Quince is a host for cedar-quince rust, which also damages apples. Professional apple growers remove all quince and red cedar trees near their orchards to protect them from disease. Since your cryptomeria is not a host for rust disease, there is no need to remove it.

Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on WSB-AM (750) from 6 to 10. Call 404-872-0750 or e-mail to ask questions. Tune in to Reeves on "Gardening in Georgia" at 7 p.m. Thursdays and 12:30 and 6:30 p.m. Saturdays through October on GPB.