A second crop of black flies found its way onto my premises this week. They seem to be the least of my problems, though.

In my waterlogged garden, several broccoli plants are drooping, other plants seem to be gasping for air, and the soil is still spongy beneath my feet as I walk about.

The recent rains lasted almost a full week in my area; my neighbor’s gauge filled twice, each time registering 5.5 inches of rainfall.

Rain throughout Maine hasn’t seemed to dampen the spirits of most local gardeners, if my mail is any indication. As always, I have enjoyed your letters this month. Below is a sampling of questions that have showed up over the past few weeks.

Your questions

Q: I have noticed, with great delight, lady-slippers popping up in the spring just at the edge of a wooded area around my house. They appeared several years after the land had been cleared. Can they be transplanted without too much harm? Where and when is best? Any special tips? E.K., Lincolnville.

A: Many people consider lady-slipper among the most beautiful and facinating of woodland plants. Although some believe that this delicate plant is an endangered species, that isn’t exactly true.

According to Anne Gibbs, horticulturist with the Maine Department of Agriculture, there is no legislation establishing the plant as endangered.

Lady-slipper is one in a group of plants that naturalize underneath the forest canopy in filtered shade. The plant prefers moist, acidic soil. To transplant some of your lady-slippers, try to relocate them in an area that has essentially the same environmental conditions as the one in which they are found naturally.

Be forewarned that lady-slippers have a taproot and are quite difficult to transplant successfully.

As your plants’ blooms start to pass by, mark the ones you want to repostion. After the bloom has passed, the foliage declines rapidly, and it may be difficult to spot the plants among the forest understory if they are scattered about. Carefully dig each plant for transplanting in late summer when they are semidormant and position them in their new location. Lady-slippers will do fine in native soils, so there is no need to amend the soil in your new spot, so long as the conditions the plants are taken from are duplicated there.

Q: I have an azalea, and it doesn’t appear to be doing very well, although there are some tiny leaves budding out. Does this plant need to be cut back like a rose? — J.J., Unity.

A: It is difficult to say, without knowing exactly which azalea you’re growing. Generally speaking, the Exbury series of azaleas are the hardiest, and are most suited to growing in our climate. You may have an azalea that is marginally hardy in central Maine, and it may have quite a time growing well here.

Give your shrub plenty of time to come out of dormancy, leaf out and make a flower display. If your shrub is producing leaves but no flowers, it may be because the tender flower buds are unable to endure the winters, unlike the hardier, leaf-producing buds.

Don’t trim — or prune — any of the wood away unless it has been winter-killed. Prune to shape or size your plant if you wish. And be sure that your azalea is growing in conditions it prefers: full sun to part shade with rich, moist, acid soil. Protect the plant’s roots with mulch, and if the leaves turn yellow, test the acidity of the soil and amend it as needed to improve its condition.

Q: When is it safe to divide and transplant lily of the valley pips? — J.C., Bangor.

A: Pips, the shoots that spout along the rhizomes of lily of the valley, are an excellent way to propagate this fragrant, shade-loving perennial. Division should take place in early spring before the plants set flower buds, or now, once the blooms have faded.

When transplanting perennials after flowering, it is usually wise to remove spent blooms, so the plant may divert its energy into establishing in its new site, rather than producing seed.

Select a site in full or filtered shade, in soil that has lots of organic matter. Lily of the valley is perfectly suited to woodland conditions because of the environmental qualities it enjoys.

Reader connection

In regard to one reader’s request for the mythical story behind the bleeding heart, A.D. of Bangor wrote in to say, “My brother’s daughter told this story to me. No one else in the family had heard the story so I have no idea where the story originated. The story is told with a bleeding heart blossom.

“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived in the highest tower of a great castle. She was very lonely and would sit by her window and weep. Not far away lived a handsome prince who could see her weeping. He decided to make her happier by sending three gifts. The first gift was a pair of pink bunnies (as this is said, carefully remove the first section of the bleeding heart blossom to reveal what looks like pink bunnies). His next gift was a pair of lovely earrings (remove next section). His third gift was a pair of slippers (remove next section).”

Readers, please note that if you have a gardening or related event that you would like me to publicize in my column, be sure to send the information to me at least three weeks in advance. I work out of my home, not at the Bangor Daily News office, and my mail is a bit delayed in reaching my desk.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, c/o Maine Weekend, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.