Q: We bought 3 voodoo lily plants from Alabama. The plants looked great when they were in their pots, one even produced a bloom. When we took them out of the pots and put them in amended soil they all shriveled up and died despite our attempts to keep them evenly moist. Any thoughts as to why they went the way of the Dodo?

A: Don’t give up the ship! Many arums go dormant in the summer. My Italian arums are all dried up now, but they will be back this fall; yours are likely to return next spring.