I have an 18-year old lawn from sod with assorted landscaping and irrigation. The soil is primarily clay. I have acquired a nighttime guest this spring in an area approximately 20 by 20 feet underneath a red maple tree. As soon as the snow was gone, I began to notice small holes in the grass in this area as if an animal was looking for food. The area has gradually been destroyed as if the soil were being prepared for planting. I have fertilized regularly, used weed control, grub and insect control and do not see any evidence of insects.

From the clues at the scene of the crime, it sounds like your midnight marauder is one very persistent skunk. You have a good news, bad news situation. The skunk is doing you a favor by eating plant-eating insects and larvae. However, their table manners leave your yard looking pockmarked. They not only love grubs but also worms and windfall fruit. They have no qualms about tearing up your lawn looking for them.

Skunks are creatures of habit, following a very methodical path in their foraging. You say you have applied grub and insect controls. You might check again under the lawn to see if they have been effective. The best way to discourage the skunk is to eliminate its food source. Remove a square foot of turf about an inch below the roots in the area being attacked to see if there are any grubs, cutworms or other succulent larvae drawing the skunk’s attention. If this patch test yields a grubless verdict, then you are dealing with animal habit. You may need to have the animal live-trapped by a professional and removed from the area. Please note this method isn’t foolproof because skunks are happy suburbanites. Another skunk can easily move into the vacated territory. However, with the current animal’s removal, you might break the foraging cycle long enough to eliminate the grubs and re-establish a healthy lawn, taking it off the skunk menu.

We are having an erosion problem with two large boulder walls in our condo association. We want to preserve the looks of the boulders and not cover them up completely, but yet need to retain the soil around the rocks. We thought about vinca, pachysandra, vetch, etc.

There are several ground covers or filler plants that would work well to control the erosion and compliment the boulder wall. The plants chosen will depend on the amount of available light. First review the four categories of light and then choose your plant or plants. All recommendations reflect low maintenance plants that will not completely cover the boulders, help control the erosion and will take dry soil, because of the hill condition.

The four light conditions are dense shade that has no direct sunlight, and is mostly reflected light under trees or evergreens, or against a north wall. Moderate shade is filtered or reflected light with almost no direct sun. Part sun has filtered sun and a few hours of direct sun. A minimum of six hours of direct sun is considered full sun.

Some nice plants for direct to part sun that also have wonderful blooms include the herb thyme (several varieties with fun fragrances like lemon or coconut), hens and chicks (Sempervivum) grown for their succulent foliage, low-growing sedums with red blooms like ‘Bronze Carpet’ or ‘Dragons Blood,’ and candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) with white blooms.

For part sun to moderate shade try the hardy and fleshy ice plant (Delosperma nubigerum) with nice yellow blooms in May.

Plants that will grow in many light and adverse soil conditions include sweet woodruff, which thrives in dense shade to part sun and blooms in spring. Also, several varieties of Lamium that thrive in full sun to moderate shade bloom in spring and sometimes rebloom in fall. My favorite is ‘White Nancy’ which has white blooms in spring and silvery foliage that “glows” in the dark.

Many of the plants mentioned above can be purchased by the flat to make them more economical to plant in large areas.

Of the plants you have already considered there are some things to keep in mind. Vinca spreads easily and will quickly force out native woodland plants if your wall is not in a completely landscaped area. Similarly, vetch is an extremely vigorous invasive plant. Pachysandra, although not as invasive as the other two, is just not very suitable for growing on a wall.

Whichever plants you decide upon, keep them well watered until they get established, and plant with a slow-release fertilizer.

About 12 years ago I purchased a 1929 English Tudor, which at one time had beautiful rose and perennial gardens. Unfortunately they were left to die out except for invasive star of Bethlehem. This has surrounded the house. In the past three years I have dug up every bed and sifted all the soil. All I did was disrupt them; every little baby developed into healthy adult bulbs. What must I do to rid the beds of these menaces? They come up like weeds every spring.

There’s no sugarcoating this…You do have some work ahead of you. Here are several options, listed in order of effort.

1. Continue to dig them out every spring; this could take years to get rid of them.
2. While a little time consuming, using boiling water is very effective without using chemicals. (Be sure you wear a long-sleeved shirt, closed-toe shoes, and long pants to protect your skin should any of the water splash on you.) If the tubers are several inches under the soil, stir them up enough to get the tubers closer to the surface, and pour the water on them at very close range. Watch for new growth and repeat.
3. If you have not already replanted the area(s), cover them with cardboard (or a thick layer of newspaper) and a heavy layer of mulch for one entire growing season. The cardboard and newspaper can be turned under the following year as compost. Any plant must have light to survive and store food; depriving them of that results in death. But these guys don’t go down easy; some may survive and will require digging out or boiling water. Another option is to cover the area with thick black plastic.
4. Finally, spray with a vegetation killer and wait. Spray any survivors. This means everything dies, including many living organisms that are good for the soil. This type of product also leaches into the soil because the plants don’t usually consume all of it. Be doubly cautious about the quantity used and mindful of any nearby water sources.