Q: I have a long row of azaleas on the north side of my house that has been there for many years and has done great. I always prune them after they bloom. Due to the horrible heat this year, the leaves on most of the top have turned brown. They look sunburned. My question is, after the temperature cools off, can I prune all the dark-brown leaves off?

A: Each year different parts of the country seem to have some level of drought conditions. One of the complications of dry weather is what you see on the azaleas. The existing leaves are damaged. The problem with azaleas and other broad-leafed evergreens is that those leaves are supposed to be on the plant not only through the winter but possibly for as long as three years.

Some azaleas are evergreen, and some are deciduous. The deciduous leaves will fall off soon, and you should just leave them alone. But the leaves on evergreen plants should stay on all winter. If they are damaged by drought or other problems, the plant will usually drop them off and grow new leaves. The leaves may fall off slowly over the winter, and new leaves may not grow until spring, so be patient.

If you prune now, you will force the plant to grow some new stems to replace the cut branches. This is not the time of year the plant should be growing new branches. They will be tender, and if frosty temperatures come, they may become damaged, and the plants will be worse off than if you had not done anything.

The big problem is that since the flower buds are already on the plant, pruning now will sacrifice next year's flowers. Azalea flower buds are in clusters at the end of the branch, so even pruning of an inch of branch will cut off the flower buds. If you can endure the brown leaves until spring, you can prune them after blooming. Remember, many of the brown leaves will fall off on their own during the winter, so they may not look that bad.

Q: We have a willow tree in our yard that is infested with little, black bugs. They make a red smear or mark when I brush them off. They have gotten progressively worst the past three years. What can we do?

A: Willows are often short-lived trees because they have so many insect and disease problems. They get weevils, which in the larval stage are borers. They get beetles, which are also borers in the larval stage. They get beetles that eat holes in the leaves and eat all the leaf material between the veins. And last but not least, they get aphids that suck the juice out of the leaves and stems.

All of these insects can be black. The aphids gather in large numbers on the leaves and stems. They are also soft-bodied, so they are squishier. Aphids have a short digestive system, so the sap still has sugar when it leaves the aphids. The leaves and other objects beneath aphid colonies (such as cars and tables) may become sticky with sap. A black, sooty mold may grow on the sap and make everything look rather dingy. Additionally, ants may be present in large numbers to protect the aphids from predators, so they can have all the sweet sap to themselves.

All of these willow insects can be controlled with the same method: Use a systemic insecticide that soaks into the trunk and moves through the plant where the insects will be exposed to it, but where the good insects (that do not eat willows) will not be exposed.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview.com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.