I have three maples -- two silver, one red -- and want to find a perennial ground cover for their beds. I would like to use epimediums. Are there any varieties that would thrive under the trees?

Christmas and weddings: What could be jollier? The focus of this year's Christmas at Oatlands festivities is the tradition of weddings at the mansion, with wedding gowns from different eras (including the 19th and 20th centuries). There will also be historic and handcrafted decorations, decorated...

Nov. 19 "CELEBRATING WOMEN" Pastels by Roger Frey and silver and bronze jewelry by Sherry Chaples. Through Nov. 30. Artists' Undertaking, 309 Mill St., Occoquan. 703-494-0584 or http://www.theartistsundertaking.com . Free.

For those who want to believe that beer is the foundation of a balanced diet, this event is for you. Suds from the Long Island, N.Y.-based Blue Point Brewing Co. will be offered along with Chef Mark Marrocco's cuisine in a five-course meal at his restaurant, Magnolias at the Mill. The dinner will be...

These sales were recorded in Loudoun County and supplied to The Washington Post by the Loudoun County Assessment Office. To find sale and assessment records for homes in Loudoun and other Washington areas, visit www.washingtonpost.com/realestate .

Dear Dr. Fox: My son has a 6-year-old male Great Dane. A couple of years ago, the dog began to get an open sore on his leg. We took him to our vet, who treated him, but it continues to grow. When asked to have it removed and the wound closed, the vet said that because of the location, that would be...

The following cases were handled recently by the Loudoun County Department of Animal Care and Control. For information, call 540-882-3211 or 703-777-0406 or visit http://www.loudoun.gov/animals .

Think you know Loudoun County's nooks and crannies? A contest sponsored by the mapping office might humble you.

Loudoun County Sheriff's Office investigators are exploring a string of four commercial burglaries last weekend, three of which happened in less than five hours Monday morning.

The Loudoun County School Board will vote on a plan next month to address crowding at Stone Bridge High School. It's the latest battle in the seemingly endless school boundary wars, and some parents from the Lansdowne area who expect their children to be relocated say they were chosen unfairly.

Fifty years ago this month, Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens became the first goaltender in NHL history to wear a full-face protective mask in a game.

These were among incidents reported by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and the Leesburg, Middleburg and Purcellville police departments. For information, contact your police or sheriff's department.

These food establishments were closed because of health code violations. The list, compiled from health department reports, reflects actions taken by the departments.

"MOMS' MORNING OUT," mothers can stay with their children or run errands. 10:30 a.m.-noon Thursdays, Douglass Community Center, 407 E. Market St., Leesburg. $35 for five sessions. Register. 703-771-5913.

Dear Dr. Gridlock : Your article about the District reviving streetcars [ Commuter page, Nov. 1 ] made me recall my experiences in the Boston area in the late 1960s. Streetcars were in use on several lines then, but the suburb of Watertown, Mass., used electric buses, powered by overhead lines.

It may be getting colder outside, but in the kitchen things are starting to heat up. I think of November and December as the Grand Slam season for the cook and entertainer: a blur of Thanksgiving feasts, holiday buffets, open houses, brunches and New Year's parties.

A rundown of this year's gift wrapping trends, and tips on creating beautiful environmentally-friendly packages.

It's thrilling to get a package in the mail, but not so great if the box looks as though it has been through the mulcher. Here are ways to make sure your holiday gifts get to their destinations in one piece:

The following organizations need volunteers and donations during the holiday season.

The second Sunday of every December, you'll find Eileen Milner of Alexandria pulling a filet (medium rare, hopefully) out of her oven as 20 friends crunch on homemade coleslaw and trim her tree.

Scared of having a holiday party with everything else you have to do? Take this advice from those who throw festive gatherings every December.

Gift wrapping advice from Paper Source in Georgetown.

For delivery by Dec. 25, send cards and packages by these dates:

Learn how to create homemade napkins featuring photos of beloved people and places.

Do you know of any place that could repair my several pieces of antique white wicker furniture? One piece, a chaise, has attached upholstery.

"Help! We have a walkout basement that is one large room. We currently have multiple uses for the space, including a home theater and kids' play area."

Growing a vegetable garden is an exercise in humility, disappointment and pride. And sometimes, anger. Hungry deer or rabbits undo the gardener's hard work, but you can accept that there is no mischief involved.

Sow corn or Shirley poppy seeds in garden beds for a display in the spring. The seed should be sown on the surface of sunny beds that are free of heavy mulch and fallen leaves. Winter weeds are beginning to germinate, so weed the beds before sowing the poppy seeds.

Despite your best efforts, certain apple varieties will still be more prone to scab than others.

Along with the joy of holiday gatherings comes an intense fear of your child doing something egregious at the table: chewing with his mouth open, burping the first half of the alphabet, constructing a volcano with her mashed potatoes.

-- Put your napkin in your lap. -- Have a clean face and hands when you sit down at the table.

Doris Burton taught U.S. history in Prince George's County for 27 years. She had her students write 3,000-word term papers. She guided them step by step: first an outline, then note cards, a bibliography, a draft and then the final paper. They were graded at each stage.

Rich Williamson and his girlfriend were talking about kids. Not necessarily whether they'd have them, but what sport their hypothetical offspring might play. "I don't want my children to play football. It's too violent," the 38-year-old Alexandria resident decided. Baseball was deemed boring. And as...

Loudoun County religious leaders privately wrestled with how to address the shootings at Fort Hood, Tex., in the days before a long-planned interfaith celebration drew together more than 175 people from six faiths in Leesburg last Sunday.

Inova Loudoun Hospital was to host a fall festival Saturday at its new urgent-care center in Purcellville. The center, intended to serve residents in western Loudoun County, is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.

The gift was simple but the message far-reaching: a multicolored scarf in a white box with a bright-pink ribbon and a button pinned on top that read, "My bald head is cuter than your bad haircut."

A deceptive plot, ridiculous fight scenes and uproarious one-liners were all present in Freedom High School's production of the frenetic French farce "Ring Round the Moon" on Nov. 7.

News that appeared Nov. 7 to 13 in The Washington Post that is of interest to readers in Loudoun and Fauquier counties.

The Fauquier SPCA is at 9350 Rogues Rd., Casanova. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. For information, call 540-788-9000.

SANTA'S ARTS AND CRAFTS VILLAGE, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Harvey L. Pearson Armory, 692 Waterloo Rd., Warrenton. More than 30 artisans and crafters offer their wares; door prizes; baked goods and food available. Sponsored by the Warrenton United Methodist Church to support mission work. $5; with a...

MEDITATION AND GUIDED IMAGERY FOR CANCER PATIENTS AND SURVIVORS, 6:30-8 p.m. Nov. 24, Inova Loudoun Hospial Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Learn about the art of mediation in this monthly session. Call Karen Archer, 703-858-8857.

A week after celebrating senior night with a 45-22 victory against South Lakes, Stone Bridge lined up to face the same opponent in a AAA Northern Region Division 5 first-round playoff game Friday on the turf of Marshall High School. Stone Bridge's Bulldogs carved up the Seahawks' defense for 298...

Wilbur Blaine Sharpe was Prisoner 1,573 during his two years as a captive of Nazi Germany. Today, he's one of more than 120 military veterans living in Ashburn's Ashby Ponds Retirement Community.