Question: I need some advice. I have this very steep south-facing hillside on the side of my driveway (I call it the slope of death). I am working on clearing the giant mess of briars and weeds out and want to plant something useful instead. The ground isn’t too bad, but it does have lots of rocks and some clay here and there. I wanted to plant some fruit trees, blueberry bushes and rhubarb. Will any of these survive there?

Answer: What a great idea! Many gardeners think edible plants will survive only under seemingly “perfect” conditions, when in fact many of them will do just fine in the “rough” conditions you describe. Most fruit trees and veggie plants (including rhubarb) require at least six hours of full sun. You should get that on a south slope as long as there are no large overhanging trees.

I suggest you dig out the briars and weeds as well as you can, removing any large rocks you encounter. Then add 2 to 3 inches of compost or leaf mold to the entire area. No need to till it in on such a steep slope. At this point in the season, I would wait until spring to do your planting.

Depending on the size of the area, select a few dwarf fruit trees (keeping pollination compatibility in mind — good nurseries can help you with this), a handful of blueberry bushes, one or two rhubarb plants (more than enough for the average family), and then maybe some type of edible ground cover to battle the weeds. I use strawberries as a living mulch in one area of my garden; they work very well, and they’re productive. Alpine strawberries are another good choice. You also could use several low-growing herbs like thyme, oregano and sage to the same purpose.

Q: Darwin tulip bulbs are supposed to last longer than others. I heard of another tulip that also is longer lasting, but I forgot the name. Do you know the name?

A: Most hybrid tulips are meant to produce blooms only once, so they should be treated like an annual and replaced each year. Darwin hybrids and Gregii tulips are good perennials and will return reliably every spring. And, in many cases, their numbers will increase. Another choice would be the species tulips. Although they’re a bit smaller in size, they come in a gorgeous range of colors and naturalize quite nicely.

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