Pictum is a picture in winter

A few years ago I found a plant in my garden that I hadn't planted. I'm assuming birds might have dropped the seeds. The name of the plant is Arum italicum Pictum, or lords and ladies. Leaves emerge in the fall and live all winter. Even in the snow! The flowers and berries arrive in the spring, and then the plant dies out over summer and I don't see a leaf until late September. I get a kick out of watching this plant during the winter when everything else is asleep for the season. Isn't this a tropical plant? Why would it have its seasons mixed up? It's planted relatively close to my front door, but I don't think there's enough heat coming from the house to cause this. It's pretty interesting, and I would love your input. -- Barbara Collins, Mastic Beach

Your Pictum isn't defying nature, Barbara. Its foliage is supposed to stick around all winter and wilt away by early summer, when, if the plant is pollinated properly, green berries begin to form in a cluster. By late fall or early winter, the berries turn bright orange and the leaves start growing again, as you've described. Noted for its contribution to the winter garden, the plant curls its foliage to retain heat when temperatures drop.

I have a couple of questions regarding my fig trees. I have three small trees growing in pots and would like to plant one of them in the ground. After I plant it, should I protect it over the winter with burlap or tar paper? I'm thinking of storing the other two for the winter in my shed, with minimal protection, perhaps just burlap. Is that enough? Would I need to water them over the winter? If so, how frequently? -- Frank J. Aimetti, Hicksville

You can plant your tree in the garden after the leaves have fallen off, then wrap it with burlap and tar paper for winter protection. You can get step-by-step directions and watch my video of the process at newsday.com/lilife. Storing the other trees in the garage or shed is fine; just drape a sheet of burlap or a light blanket over them for extra protection. No need to water; they'll be dormant.

We heat part of our 1854 farmhouse in Douglaston with a wood-burning stove. It generates a lot of ash, as you might imagine. I'm thinking of spreading it around and under a new garden of perennial bushes that we planted this year, as well as around a half dozen beautiful fir trees. Do I have your blessings to spread ashes in this fashion? -- Jim McCann, Douglaston

In a word, no. You can spread a little of those ashes around plants that thrive in high-pH soil, but because ashes are extremely alkaline, using too much would raise the pH to unacceptable levels and make the soil downright inhospitable to those plants that require a lower pH. Never apply ashes around fir trees, rhododendrons, blueberries or other acid-loving plants.