Dear Roger: Can you identify this plant? I thought it was a rose, and then upon closer inspection, it wasn't. I have never seen one of these before and will probably try to get a cutting.

Secondly, there are these tiny dry-looking plants that have invaded my grassy areas of the yard. They look to be maybe an inch or so tall with a white fluffy structure on the top. I assume they're seeds. What are they and how do I get rid of them? - A.C.

Dear A.C.: The plant in your excellent photos is mock orange, also known as Philadelphus coronarius. It is called mock orange because the fragrance of the best varieties is much like standing in the middle of an orange grove in full bloom. It's wonderful.

Some varieties, however, do not have any fragrance. So choose wisely.

Mock orange is not difficult to root. Take cuttings as soon as they snap readily when bent hard. Keep two or three sets of leaves and strip away two or three. Wound the green stems by scraping with a knife or thumbnail.

Keep cuttings very humid and the medium lightly most. Use a potting medium high in long-fibered peat and fast-draining sand or Perlite. No rooting hormone is necessary.

Grow your plants in full sun, if you can. They will have more blooms and more fragrance. But mock orange will perform reasonably well under high pine shade.

I've noticed lots of the weeds you mention in your grass, by the way. I thought they were a wild, annual version of antennaria, but Dr. Linda Sue Barnes, a retired Methodist University botany professor, told me they are in the clover family. At any rate, they are winter weeds that have gone to seed. They will soon all be dead and will not trouble you further.

Send your comments and questions to roger@mercergarden.com or call 424-4756.