IN THE GARDEN SPEAKING WISTFULLY OF WISTERIAS, PLUMERIAS.

Byline: JOSHUA SISKIN

Q: Being from the South, I have always loved wisteria and bought one that was blooming last year. I planted it in a large pot on my patio (in Moorpark). It has not grown at all since I bought it. It also did not bloom this year. All the leaves are burnt on the tips, which also happened last year after I planted it.

I also recently bought a plumeria and planted it in another patio pot. There were no care instructions provided.

What else do I need to do to care for my plumeria and wisteria?

- Celeste Roberts

A: Plumerias, whose fragrant flowers are used in Hawaiian leis, are more or less trouble free. Give them a little water, regular fertilizer now and then, and full sun, and they will grow and flower fine. They have a reputation for being cold-sensitive, but I have seen them thriving in unprotected locations from Sherman Oaks to Mission Hills. Their thick, succulent trunks and stems impart impressive drought tolerance.

Wisterias, those vines that flower in chains of violet blue, are unpredictable. The fact that yours is in a pot may be holding it back. It is well-known that wisteria roots can be a limiting factor where flowering is concerned. For instance, following a nonblooming year, it is recommended that you take a spade and plunge it, here and there, through the root zone. Wisterias do not like fertilizer. You also might want to take yours out of the pot and root prune it, hoping that this will bring flowers out next spring.

Q: I have been trying to grow blackberries for several years. I have had very poor crops and a large plant die-off last year. I feed them three or four times annually and try to water at least twice a week. What can I do to increase production?

- L.C. McVay

A: Blackberries (otherwise known as black raspberries), thrive on neglect. Stop the fertilization - it promotes shoot growth at the expense of flower and fruit production. Twice-weekly watering is probably excessive - blackberries are the most drought tolerant of the bramble fruits - and would explain the sudden death of one of your plants, probably the result of a root fungus disease.