Editor's notebook

Friends, with this month's commentary, we are about to attempt what few before us have dared try-merging the exciting world of horticulture with that of pyrotechnics. Our subject is the storied gas plant, which despite what you might think, is not a pseudonym for the lima bean. No, gas plant (Dictamnus albus) is an old-fashioned perennial that combines handsome compound leaves with showy summer flowers of pink, white, or lavender. This plant is rather slow to establish, but once it gets going, it can live in the same spot for a century-that is, unless you blow it up, which is theoretically possible given its volatile nature. Legend has it that on warm summer nights, gaseous compounds emitted by its flowers and seedpods briefly ignite if exposed to flame. Sounds like a bunch of hooey to me. So to test this ridiculous notion, I've assembled 300 gas plants before me in a heated closet. Now I'll just strike this match and prove once and...

I live in the Tampa Bay area and just received a peace lily as a gift. Can I plant it outdoors? Does it need sun or shade?

BERYL, MITCHELL [middot] PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA

Although most people grow peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp.) as a houseplant, it is usually hardy outdoors in your area. Give it shade and moist, fertile, well-drained soil. Thanks to its large leaves and flowers, it makes a bold accent, whether planted singly or in a grouping. Occasional winter cold snaps may nip it, but it should recover. So, to paraphrase John Lennon, give peace lily a chance.

I want to camouflage a 12-foot-tall retaining wall in an area that receives very little sun. Are there any large shrubs that would work? PAM HOLLADAY

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

When we think of large, shade-tolerant shrubs for screening, hollies come to mind. They're evergreen, easy to grow, accept close pruning, and usually have winter berries. Four to consider are 'Savannah,' 'Nellie R. Stevens,' 'Mary Nell,' and 'Foster's #2.' Or cover the retaining wall with a shade-tolerant evergreen vine. English ivy will do in the Upper, Middle, and Lower South. In the Coastal and Tropical South, creeping fig is good.

I just purchased a dendrobium orchid. How do I care for it? SHARON GABRIEL

NAVASOTA, TEXAS

Dendrobiums need at least six hours of sun a day. So place yours in a bright window or outside in dappled sun. While it is actively growing, keep the soil medium moist. Make sure the pot has a drainage hole. Feed monthly with a water-soluble fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro. After new growth matures, reduce watering so soil surface goes slightly dry between waterings. Also, quit fertilizing. Cool fall temperatures should initiate flowerbuds. Then, resume watering and feeding.

I've read that climbing hydrangeas are well suited to the Southeast, but I haven't seen any in garden centers. Will they grow here? KELLIE HENDERSON

TROY, ALABAMA

There are three different vines called "climbing hydrangea," and all do well in the Southeast. The first, Hydrangea anomala, displays showy, white flowers, rounded leaves, and peeling bark. The second, Japanese hydrangea vine (Schizophragma hydrangeoides), looks similar but has oval, pointed leaves. The third (Decumaria barbara) is a native that is also called wood vamp. It has smaller leaves and fragrant, white blooms. All three vines like moist, fertile, well-drained soil and dappled sun or light shade.

Tips of the Month are ideas readers say work for them. We do not test them. Submit tips on a postcard with your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address to Garden Tips, Southern Living, P.O. Box 523, Birmingham, AL 35201 or by e-mail to southernliving@customersvc.com. For each tip published you will receive $25.

Tip of the Month

Instead of buying those clay pot feet to rest a large container on, I get really small (1- to 2-inch) clay pots and invert them. It works great. Three of these cost the same as one pot foot! PAT BEHRENS

COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE

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