Q:My friends and I have noticed that the holly trees and even the nandinas seem to have many more berries than in past years. Did something unusual happen this year? Answer: Plants tend to produce more berries when they are under stress. Perhaps it’s the plants way of producing offspring in case it dies. I suspect the drought last summer had something to do with the heavy berry production. I live in Chester and we have experienced the same thing.

Q:I started a compost pile in September with leaves, grass clippings and kitchen scraps. Now I’m just adding leaves and a few kitchen scraps. What do I need to add to keep the pile working this winter? Answer: The grass clippings were your best natural source of nitrogen. However, there is a little nitrogen in your vegetable scraps. You can supplement with a handful of 10-10-10 or any other source of nitrogen, such as blood meal.

Erica Gilliam says winter is a gardener’s time to dream. “Winter is absolutely the most ideal time to sit down with a blanket, cuddle up in the sunlight by a window and enjoy those plant and seed catalogs,“ said Gilliam, a master gardener in Henrico County. It’s also a time to ready your garden for spring. There are plants to prune, tools to clean, seeds to buy, structures to repair, compost heaps to turn and vegetable and flower beds to plan.

Q:I planted sweet corn for two years and both years not a single piece came up. I had the soil tested and the results said it was fine. I planted a few seeds in a pot and they came up fine. This place in my garden has always done well in the past. Do you know what might be wrong? Answer: If the soil is OK and the seeds are OK, something is going wrong where the two come together. If the soil was too wet or too dry, your seeds could have decayed before they germinated. Of course, you’d still expect a few to pop up somewhere along the row. If seeds are planted too shallow, birds have been known to walk along the row and feast on freshly planted seed. But you’d think they’d miss one every now and then.

Q:I have a terrible problem with voles. They seem to be under control right now, but I know they’ll be back in the spring. Do you have any advice?

Q:My boss gave everyone in the office a poinsettia before Christmas. It’s beautiful, but my mother-in-law said it was poisonous and I should get it out of the house. We have two small children and a cat. Is it really dangerous? I’d love to keep it. Answer: I was surprised that I hadn’t received this question earlier in the season. Every year that concern seems to surface. The Society of American Florists Web page says the poinsettia is the most widely tested consumer plant on the market today. The group says research from Ohio State University has shown the poinsettia to be nontoxic to humans and pets. It says a child would have to ingest 500 to 600 leaves to exceed the experimental doses that found no toxicity, according to POISINDEX, the national information center for poison control centers.

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.

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.