It's easy to write a column when you have been bombarded with questions. This week I'll take that route and throw in an idea I am using in my tomato patch this season.

The first inquiry focused on two clematis plants that had been planted at the same time and both seemed to be growing quite well. The one was full of blooms and the second still wasn't showing as much as a bud.

Fortunately the caller was able to identify the variety of the culprit, which made finding an answer easy. There are different categories of clematis. Some of the large flowered hybrids bloom quickly in the spring while another group wait until early summer to do their show.

She had one of each. The late blooming one responds well to removal of up to half its volume each spring since it blooms on new wood and re-grows rapidly.

Questioner number two was looking for plant suggestions for a butterfly garden in the shade. She said there was an unhappy butterfly bush that bloomed poorly near the spot. As I pondered the request I pointed out that since butterflies are cold-blooded creatures they function best in the heat of the day.

Mentally I sorted through the flower types that butterflies prefer and came up wanting for suggestions. The questioner left me with the comment that she would put her butterfly garden in a sunny part of her yard. I agreed.

A third question concerned a tomato plant whose leaves showed no discoloration and seemed normal except for showing signs of curling upward. The variety in question was unknown and I did not see the plant. Her watering schedule seemed appropriate.

I came up a bit empty handed, suggesting maybe the early stages of blight or more likely a virus. She shared her cultural practices and I could see no problems. It was in a pot in full sun and she had used fresh potting soil.

Often tomato problems come from planting in the same spot with infections coming from left over residue or problems left in the soil from the previous year.

Not knowing the variety throws open the door to questions of resistance. Recent introductions have a lot of disease and virus resistance bred into the plant. However, the popularity of heirloom varieties demands more attention to sanitation and rotation around the garden.

Now, I'll share my latest move in my tomato patch. It's not original. I read it somewhere, but it looks rather interesting.

My wife insisted that I stake our tomatoes this year and, after adequate procrastination, I got sections of inch and a half PVC electrical conduit. I cut them into five-foot sections and pounded them

into the ground beside the plants. The idea is that when necessary I can fill the pipe with water and the plant will slowly receive the moisture needed. As an experiment I have discovered that it takes about a half gallon of water per pipe and ten hours after the filling I could still see water in the pipe.

I gave my wife numerous suggestions as to how to tie the plant to the pipe but she insists that she will just tear up some of my old raggedy tee shirts for the job. I admire somebody's brilliant idea but fear that soon I may be left naked from the waist up. I guess that's ok if I stay in the garden and don't tell my doctor about my imposed sun worship.