Dear Grumpy,

In Northern Virginia, our typical soil is red clay. For years, I’ve been spreading coffee grounds in our garden on the premise that it helps break up and improve the soil.

- STEVE BENDER

Well, my wonderful son and his wife, who are avid gardeners, recently moved back here from San Diego, California, and reject my strategy. They say that they don’t want a bunch of caffeinated worms in their yard. My question to you, Grumpy, is who stands on the better ground here? —Jim

You do, Jimbo. Coffee grounds, especially composted ones, are great for the soil and make a good source of organic matter. Unless you pile them 3 feet thick, don’t worry about the caffeine. Most of that goes into the glorious liquid you drink—that’s lucky, as the last thing you need is twitchy soil that won’t stay still.

Hosta la Vista

Are there any hostas that will tolerate the heat in a shade garden in North Florida?

—Amy

Life is short for most hostas in your USDA Zone (9A). They need a longer, colder winter than what North Florida provides. Fortunately, there are still a number of heat-tolerant ones available for folks in the Deep South. As a bonus, they have showy flowers thanks to their parentage from fragrant plantain lily