With the economic rescue/bailout plan exceeding $700 billion, some people are beginning to worry about how we are paying for all the expenses.

Q:This will be our first Christmas in our own home. We want to buy a living Christmas tree and plant it in our yard after the holidays. Can you give us any tips to help make sure it will survive? Answer: What a great way to remember that first Christmas. Start by choosing a tree species that is naturally acclimated to the environment of central Virginia. Frasier fir makes a classic Christmas tree, but it has a hard time acclimating to our hot, humid summers. Get your tree from a reputable garden center and rely on their trained staff to advise you on a species that will do well in your area.

Too many coaches and fans have a common lament for the lack of success of their college football programs: We can’t recruit enough dumb guys. They say it in a different way, of course. They present a college’s academic standards as an obstacle to drawing top-flight players, as if the best players can’t handle challenging classes and are averse to getting a good education.

During the past 18 months, daily economic headlines have progressively worsened. So much has happened that it is hard to focus on a single Treasury or Fed edict, much less try to understand its ramifications.

Q:Wild violets are overtaking our yard. In an earlier column, you said that a product with carfentrazone in it is proving effective. However, you didn’t list any products that contain carfentrazone. What can we use to get rid of the violets?

Q:My 15-piece tea set is marked on the bottom of each item with the words “Hand Painted” in blue letters with a sunburst below and the word “Nippon.“ In addition, there is a hand-painted mark in gold: “Ella, Sept. 1917.“ The set is hand-painted with flowers. I would like to know the value and the history of Nippon.—C.R. Answer: The word Nippon means Japan. It was used to mark porcelain and other products from about 1865 until 1921, when the United States began enforcing the McKinley Tariff Act requiring imports to be marked in English.

Q:I have been babying my orchid (grocery-store variety) for six years, but it has not bloomed. I run a humidifier next to it every day for an hour and keep it under fluorescent lighting. What can I do differently?—Joan T.

Q:I didn’t get around to reseeding this fall, nor have I put down any fertilizer. If it’s not too late, what type of fertilizer would you suggest? Answer: While it is too late to reseed, late November is a great time to apply fertilizer. One of the main reasons to feed lawns in the fall is because the grass plants are storing food for next season and developing healthy roots.

Q:My husband is passionate about killing weeds in our yard. However, the more weeds he kills, the more we get. What are we doing wrong? Answer: He might need to get into a “regular” sequence of weed control for 12 to 18 months to break their cycle. Basically, you have three main types of weeds in a lawn: perennials, summer annuals and winter annuals. Most of the weeds that were growing at the end of the summer were summer annuals. The best time to control them is when they are young and tender, in early May.