The quarter-inch-long maggot inside your cherries is probably the larvae of the cherry fruit fly, which looks much like a small housefly but has bold diagonal markings on its wings. This fly pupates in the soil beneath cherry trees, emerging in late spring to lay eggs in the fruit. After hatching, the maggots feed and penetrate to the pits, causing fruit rot. Finally, the maggots drop to the ground and bury themselves below the surface. Because cherry fruit flies leave little evidence of their egg-laying, it is difficult for the home gardener to detect their presence until it is too late.

To control the fruit fly, try trapping adults in the spring before they lay their eggs. In late May—or whenever cherry fruits begin to form in your area—hang four to eight red sticky spheres or yellow cards on the branches of each cherry tree. Hang the traps at eye level, about two to three feet from the tips of the branches. Clean off the trapped flies every few days and reapply the sticky coating if necessary.

To reduce future infestations, clean up fallen fruits under the tree daily and destroy them. For severe infestations, you may choose to try botanical insecticides such as rotenone or neem, but as with all pesticides, be sure to follow the manufacturers’ instructions for safe use. Many of these organic controls, including the sticky traps, can be found at your local garden center. Two mail-order sources are Gardens Alive! 5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, IN 47025; (812) 537-8651; www.gardens–alive.com; and Planet Natural, 1612 Gold Avenue, Bozeman, MT 59715; (800) 289-6656; www.planetnatural.com.

I am planning a period garden for our town’s sesquicentennial and am trying to find out what vegetables grew in a typical American garden around 1849. Where can I find this information? —J.D., Pioneer, Ohio

There have been so many regional and cultural influences on gardening in America that it is difficult to define a “typical” American garden in the mid-19th century. “The Melting Plot,” a two-part article by Susan Davis Price in the March/April and May/June 1998 issues of The American Gardener provides an excellent overview of immigrant influences on American garden plants and design.

Your town’s historical society may maintain an archive of Civil War diaries and local newspaper clippings. These may provide references to the vegetables that were grown in your area.

The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants collects, preserves, and distributes plants documented to have been grown in American gardens before 1900. The center offers historic seeds for sale in its catalog. Write to Twinleaf Catalog, P.O. Box 316, Charlottesville, VA 22902, or visit its Web site at www.monticello.org/shop.

You may also want to consult The Field and Garden Vegetables of America by Fearing Burr. Other worthy resources include Heirloom Vegetable Gardening by William Woys Weaver; Beautiful American Vegetable Gardens by Mary Tonetti Dorra; and A Celebration of Heirloom Vegetables by Roger Yepsen. These books can be ordered through AHS’s Book Service affiliation with Amazon.com by clicking on the book's title.

My indoor garden contains several bromeliads that don’t look happy, but standard houseplant books don’t cover these plants in depth. Can you help? —D.M., Stonybrook, New York

The bromeliad family is made up of 2,700 species and thousands of hybrids. Most bromeliads are native to the tropics of Central and South America. Some are grown for their attractive foliage, others for their exotic flower heads. Most bromeliads flourish in bright, indirect sunlight and a humid environment where temperatures remain between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Proper watering is essential. Pour water into the central cup or hollow created where the leaves join the stem; the water will gradually drain into the soil. Keep the soil moist, but never allow it to get soggy. It’s also important to keep the water in the cup fresh, so flush the plant frequently to prevent stagnation and build-up of mineral salts—using distilled water will help.

Bromeliads are relatively pest-free, but occasionally they can be attacked by scale or mealy bugs. Most problems are caused by dry air, sun scorch, overwatering, or watering with hard water.

The Bromeliad Society International offers a free brochure titled “Bromeliad Culture.” To order, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to BSI at P.O. Box 12981, Gainesville, FL 32604-0981. Or visit BSI’s Web site at www.bsi.org for more information.

I have been given an umbrella plant. It has leafless stems up to about three feet tall, with straplike foliage growing in all directions at the top of each stem. Can you tell me the cultural requirements for this plant? —R. L., Albany, Georgia

A member of the sedge family, umbrella plant (Cyperus alternifolius) is native to moist habitats in Madagascar. This clump-forming tender perennial produces clusters of three-foot-tall stems topped by spokelike rings of dangling, green, leaflike bracts that gave rise to its common name. Umbrella plant is marginally hardy in USDA Zone 9, but as a full-time outdoor plant is more reliable in Zones 10 or 11. Grow yours in a container of soil-based potting mix. If you have a pond in your garden, you can keep the pot immersed in shallow water in the summer. You can also grow it outside during the summer, or as an indoor house plant year round. Because umbrella plant requires constantly moist soil, make sure to keep the base of the container immersed in a tray of water at all times. Place it where it will get bright, filtered light and mist the leaves occasionally to maintain high humidity. In the summer, apply a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly. Umbrella plant is easy to propagate—divide and repot plants each spring—and pests are rarely a problem.

Last summer I purchased two miniature roses, approximately the same size, and put them in a planter on the patio. The yellow rose (‘Yellow Joy’) did not grow much taller, but it did get wider and bushier. The red rose (‘Deep Velvet’), however, is now 21/2 feet tall and still growing! Its older leaves are still small to medium, but its new leaves are the size of a standard tea rose. I live in Houston (USDA Zone 9), and I was reluctant to prune back the roses because they continued to grow and bloom all winter. Is it common for miniatures to get that big, or is this an aberration? —A.D., Houston, Texas

Welcome to the confusing world of roses. Contrary to popular belief, “miniature” does not necessarily indicate a rose’s height. According to Stephen Scanniello, rosarian at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, “A miniature rose is one that has smaller flowers and foliage than those found on standard-sized roses. While many miniatures grow eight to 18 inches, some—especially climbers—can grow much taller.” Frank Lara, rose propagator and grower of Rosa ‘Deep Velvet’ at Chamblee’s Rose Nursery in Tyler, Texas, concurs: “‘Deep Velvet’ grows up to four feet tall, but its flower still remains small, or miniature. The leaves of this rose are going to be larger than some of the other two-foot and smaller varieties, but there is no need to be alarmed that the rose is going to ‘forget’ that it’s a mini.” However, Scanniello says that because of complex and intensive rose hybridization, it is possible that some miniature plants may later begin to exhibit characteristics of their standard-sized ancestors.

Although your roses continue to grow through your Zone 9 winters, Scanniello highly recommends that you prune them. This should be done in late winter—say, February. “Miniatures are very responsive to pruning,” Scanniello explains. “Because they are miniature, the plants can become very crowded. You definitely need to prune to promote good growth.” Prune miniature roses initially by cutting them back to two-thirds of the plant’s height. The next season and thereafter, prune canes to three to six inches and remove those from the center to open up the plant. Always remove dead, diseased, or damaged canes.

For more information on growing miniatures, you might refer to Miniature Roses by Rayford Clayton Reddell. The book can be ordered through AHS’s Book Service affiliation with Amazon.com by clicking on the book's title.