Nancy Brachey

Q. I have an Armand clematis vine that is 5 or 6 years old. It has spread 33 feet across my patio fence. It has always been very healthy until this year. It has clumps of dead leaves that occur on vines that also have live growth on them. It gets watered regularly but has been fertilized very little.

Q. I have some small chrysanthemums in my flower garden that are doing strange things. They actually bloomed in June with small flowers and have continued to grow more small buds. But recently, just as the buds start to open, the edges of the flowers turn brown and then wither. The plants are loaded with little buds. I would love to have even half of them come to full flower. (I have amended my very cement-hard clay soil somewhat by side dressing and water every other day.

Q. I had a huge bed cleared out that had been choked with daylilies, sedum and coreopsis, all over 14 years old.

Q. We have planted Celebrity tomatoes for the past two years and have had a problem with them splitting from the top of the core, and the tomatoes go bad quickly. It does not happen to all of the tomatoes, but it does affect about two-thirds of them. What causes this and how could we prevent it? Would you recommend a different variety for us to plant next year?

Q. I had two large ivy beds in my front yard and decided I wanted all ivy removed because weeds were taking over. Workers dug up everything, sprayed with weed killer and spread pine straw. Now that hot weather is here, weeds are back. I've tried three different sprays, and nothing is working. It kills for a while, and then weeds are back. I hate using chemicals. Is laying a black tarp over the ground my only solution?