There is a mushroom-looking growth on my ceiling. It gets big and then the petals fall off. It looks like there is a hole there, which is silvery inside. When one mushroom disappears, another one or two come out. Any idea what to do?
Mushrooms don't have petals like a flower does, but they do have a rosette of thin gills under the cap (where spores are produced). Mushrooms appear, shrivel and collapse or, in your case, fall off the ceiling. Mushrooms live on dead organic matter, such as wood. They also need moisture and warmth. This suggests that your house has water problems. The "silvery" look may be moisture. Look for a nearby leak from the roof or water pipes. During winter freezing and thawing, also check your rain gutters for ice dams that funnel water under eaves. If the area is dry, send us photos of your growth.
I have a very tall laurel that gets to about 12-20 feet tall. It is on the north side of my house so the wind is stripping its leaves. Can I protect it with burlap? Should I?
Winds have to be extremely strong (like a hurricane) to strip healthy leaves. We suspect your laurel's leaves were first dried up by wind, then died and blew off. Yes, you can construct a protective burlap cover, but before you do, there are two things to keep in mind. First, be sure your shrub has plenty of moisture available to its roots as it goes into winter. Broad-leafed evergreens lose more moisture through their leaves in winter than any other plants. They need to replenish the moisture but can't when soil is dry and frozen. Mulch and water in the fall. Second, if this happens every year, check the plant for an underlying problem and also be aware that losing foliage annually will weaken the plant.