I recently wrote about transplanting perennials in the summer before a house was sold. This can be difficult as some of the plants may not survive and it takes more care to keep the plants alive in the summer than if they were moved in the fall or during a dormant time.

I failed to mention that it may be possible to negotiate with the buyer of the house to remove the plants at a later date. I received the following good information from Reva in Houston:

"I read your article today about the reader who wanted to save his grandmother's plants before the home is sold. Another idea is for the seller to contact his listing agent immediately and tell him they want to reserve the plants. He should tell them exactly what he is reserving, and that they will be moved in the fall. It is perfectly legal, as many items can be reserved by the seller. The idea that the reader is interested in saving his grandmother's plants should touch the heart of any buyer. I know it would mine. I know it will work as I have often excluded items in contracts, and he will not have to take the chance of losing any during transplantation. He can always tell a buyer he will replace his grandmother's plants with other similar plants."

I especially like the final point that the seller can replace the plants in the landscape if the buyer likes the landscaping. The seller certainly wouldn't want to destroy the curb appeal look, even after the house was sold.

If you know that your parents may be selling their home in the next few years, you may want to start dividing the perennials now, so that you won't run into the problems described above. My landscape includes a lilac and peonies my mom planted that were given to her by her grandmother.

Q: The leaves on our 50-year-old ash tree have been turning brown and falling all over our yard for weeks now. This started last year and is worse this year. What should we do to save it?

A: Many people have heard of the emerald ash borer problem that is mostly in the Midwest, but is still spreading. On the other hand, many people have forgotten that ash trees can still get many diseases, insects and other problems.

The symptom of a tree losing all its leaves in the summer could be from damage due to lightning or damage to the trunk. If there was trenching or chemicals spilled on the roots, the tree could lose a lot of leaves. In this case, the tree did the same thing last year and unless it is getting repeated doses of bad luck from outside causes, the symptoms point to a slow moving disease. Ash trees are susceptible to the disease called ash yellows.

Ash yellows can take several years for the symptoms to fully develop throughout the tree, causing the tree to slowly die over several years. The tree has fewer leaves, smaller leaves and the leaves are often light green.

Ash yellows is caused by a phytoplasma, which is a bacteria-like organism that lives in the food conducting tissue of infected plants. Leafhoppers are thought to be the primary way this pathogen moves from tree to tree.

There is no known cure, but some infected trees may live and grow slowly for many years. Ash trees suspected of having ash yellows can be tested for the disease, and those trees that test positive should be removed immediately to prevent spread of the ash yellows phytoplasma to other trees in the area. The organism doesn't live in dead wood, so logs harvested from infected trees can be used as firewood or chipped for mulch.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at [email protected]. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.