Rex Begonia Plants Can Move Outside

Q In a recent article you mentioned several house plants that can be put outside during the summer. What about my Rex begonias? Mine have beautiful foliage but no flowers. I use Miracle Gro and sometimes Peter's plant food. What do I need to do to get them to bloom?

A Yes, Rex begonias can go outside during the summer. Put them in a shady spot: Otherwise the hot sun will burn the large, tender leaves. Most of the Rex varieties flower during the summer. Try feeding yours with 0-10-10 this month and again next month. Low nitrogen or no nitrogen fertilizers often encourage flowering.

Q Could you please tell me how to remove creeping vines from my siding? My fingernails cannot take much more pulling on these stubborn little tendrils. My house is being painted, so the tendrils must be removed.

A A pair of needle-nose pliers would be much easier than using your fingers. As far as I know, there is no simple solution. However, I will ask our readers and if they have any creative ideas, I will print them in this column.

Q I have just been given a beautiful fuchsia tree, ``Springtime,'' double trailing. This was intended for my deck, but since it is a very windy spot, I have put it in the sun room. It appears to be finished blooming, yet my books tell me it will bloom all summer.

A The sun room may not be the ideal location for this plant at this time of year. Put it in a shady or semi-shady location outdoors.

Fertilize now with a blossom-setting fertilizer such as 0-10-10, following label instructions.

Q You have answered that a world list of the 10 top perennials does not exist. Please list in your column the 10 finest and most useful perennials for the Pacific Northwest, as chosen by you or any garden authority of your choice.

A This is maybe the most difficult question I have ever been asked. I really enjoy perennials, and have a garden full of them, but to limit it to just 10 is really impossible. But here goes: daylilies (reblooming varieties); chrysanthemums; astilbe; hosta; dianthus family; iris family; primula family; Michaelmas daisies; Shasta daisy (Snow Lady); and delphiniums. Not necessarily in that order. But where do you list the gloriosa daisies, hardy asters, coreopsis, phlox, aubrietia, etc.? Next week I might have an entirely different list; there are so many top-notch perennials to choose from.

Q On one of your TV shows, you were working in a strawberry bed. Behind you, in a container, I saw a delightful small weeping tree only about 2 feet high. It was very lush, with green foliage. Could you please let me know what it is?

A I have had that weeping hemlock in that container for more than 10 years now. It has beautiful, soft green needles when the new growth first opens, then turns a nice medium green the rest of the year. The correct name is ``Pendula,'' Sargent weeping hemlock. Its ultimate height is about 2 to 3 feet, and the width can be 3 to 4 feet or slightly larger.

Gardening by Ed Hume appears Thursday and Friday in the Scene section and Sunday in the Home/Real Estate section of The Times.