I had two trees removed and now have two stumps. I don't want to burn or dig them out. How I can accelerate the composting of these stumps? One friend suggested applying fertilizer to the stumps. Can you recommend other options?
To move along the process, increase the surface area of the stump exposed to decomposing organisms. For instance, you can saw many cross-hatch cuts on the top of the stump. Keeping the stump wet will also help. You could sprinkle some compost on it, and perhaps a very small amount of fertilizer, because decomposition uses some nitrogen. While you can accelerate the decomposition of stumps somewhat, it is still a long process, measured in years. A commercial stump-rotting product won't change that. If you need the stump gone sooner, hire someone to grind out the stump — or use it as a birdbath or planter base.
I have an azalea bush with several different colors of flowers: pink, dark pink, white and white with pink. Can you explain this?
You may have a Satsuki azalea cultivar. Satsuki azaleas, which bloom in late May to early June, often display a feature known as sporting. A sport is a part of a plant (usually a woody plant) that is highly different from the rest of the plant in shape, color, flower or structure. The change is genetic, so a sport can be separated from the parent plant and propagated vegetatively. Many cultivars of species are developed from sports.