The Times News will be publishing a new advice column called "Ask a Master Gardener," featuring the Carbon County Master Gardeners. Master gardeners want your letters, your phone calls and your emails. Ask about a specific plant, a "how-to" question, or a pest or disease that's causing you problems.

Here's what you need to do. When you contact the master gardeners, they will need your name, address, phone number and email so they can put you into their hotline computer, and so they can call you if they need more information. If you have photos that show your problem or samples, the master gardeners can send them to the Penn State plant clinic if need be.Selected questions and answers will be published in the new column, but only your first name and your location will be used, like "Eileen from Jim Thorpe." If you include clear, high-resolution photos with your query, those may be printed as well.Send your questions by mail to Penn State Extension, 529 Lentz Trail, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229; by email to

CarbonExt@psu.edu; or call 570-325-2788.