If you guessed hummingbird to the riddle, that's right. Hummingbirds are extremely poor at singing. But, think about it. If they could sing, they'd have the rest of the bird world way too jealous. They are already gorgeous, can hover and even fly backward for a bit. It wouldn't be fair if they also had beautiful singing voices.

Speaking of the little guys, NOW is the time to get those feeders cleaned, filled with sugar water and hung outside. They start to arrive in our area around April 15 each year. If you are late putting yours up, chances are they will already have found a feeder in one of the neighbors' yards and you will miss out.

You don't need to buy commercial nectar. All it takes is sugar and water. No red food coloring, please. Mix 1/4 cup sugar into a cup of boiling water. Boil again, stir and once it cools, it's ready to use. Hang the feeder near a tree where they can perch between drinks. They are very territorial and love having a lookout place where they can spot interlopers. Those pictures you see of several hummers sitting quietly on a feeder are very misleading. They are probably a family and even those won't be tolerated long. You can always hang additional feeders to attract more birds, but be sure to hang them out of sight from each other like one near the front door and another out back.

The first hummers to arrive here are usually the rufous ones. The males have a bright coppery breast. This makes them very easy to distinguish from our most common visitor, the calliope. This guy sports an interesting bib of vertical burgundy stripes. Females and young ones of both varieties are nondescript.

The traditional planting time for potatoes is Good Friday. In our area, longtime gardeners swear by another sign which is to plant only after the snow is gone from Rathdrum mountain. Cool weather vegetables can all be planted near the end of this month. Besides potatoes, these include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, onions, spinach, lettuce, beets and carrots. Don't jump the gun as the seeds will rot if the ground is still too cold. Hold off on tomatoes and peppers until the end of May.

We are seeing stores full of bedding plants now. Go ahead and buy those started vegetables as long as they're part of the preceding list. When it comes to flowering plants however, there are only few you can safely buy now. Don't get carried away with the more tender ones as they freeze very easily. These include all the common geraniums (pelargoniums), marigolds and impatiens. These will turn black faster than a speeding bullet.

Some of the tougher annuals are pansies, snapdragons and petunias. These can all take a bit of frost without cashing in their chips. Flowering perennials are a different matter. They are quite hardy and can take quite a bit of chill.

I was sad to see the article in the newspaper a few days ago saying the Post Falls tree giveaway had been canceled this year due to costs. Such a shame. A lot of us have trees growing in our yards from this program. It will be missed. Arbor Day is on April 29. This has always been the traditional time to plant trees. Local nurseries have a good selection of trees which do well in our area.

The two "holiday" cactus I have are putting on a good show right now. These may be called Easter cactus or Christmas cactus. Regardless, the newer varieties don't just bloom once a year like the old ones did. Most of those sold nowdays will bud up and bloom off and on from Thanksgiving to Mother's Day. They usually take a well deserved rest then.

These require much different care than desert type cactus, such as no direct sun in the warmer months. To get them to bud up in the fall, place them near a cool window. They need this bit of chill to "wake them up." Give them some weak fertilizer once a month. I use the kind made for orchids or African violets. Both have a higher second number which is needed for flower formation.

I have a feeling that if the Easter bunny were real and could talk, he'd take one look at the list of things we need to get done and tell us to "hop to it."

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. Since then, she has always kept a garden of some sort, growing everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and house plants. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.