I hate to say this out loud, but I think spring is really here! We have had some really nice warm days lately. (We won't mention the rainy ones.)

First off, grab your calendar and write this down. The Garden Expo is in less than two weeks. This year it will be held on May 12 from 9 to 5 at the usual place, Spokane Community College located at 1810 N. Greene St. Exit Freya from I-90 and drive north over the train tracks. I promise you will love it.

If you have never been, you are in for a treat. They will have over 250 garden related vendors, nursery plants for sale, garden art, crafts and door prizes. Admission and parking are free.

Also, for those fans of Phyllis Stephens, they have shortened her garden show. Instead of 3 hours, it now runs only 2 hours, from 9 to 11. Her show can be found at 920 am on your radio dial on Saturday mornings. She is both informative and entertaining.

There is a lot of work to be done in the yard right now, but think of it as good exercise. It really is hard to know where to start as there is a chore needing to be done wherever you look.

The lawns should get a dose of fertilizer now. Be careful if you use the ones containing Weed and Feed. The applicators often throw it into the flowerbeds which can spell death to your ornamental plants.

If you have clematis vines, some of those need to be cut down now. Not all do though. The rule of thumb is that those that bloom early need to be left alone. (These can be trimmed right after they bloom.) The late blooming types are the ones to cut now. Leave about two feet of growth on them, which should be two or 3 sets of buds.

If you are itching to get something planted in your garden, you should be OK with potatoes, onions, peas, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, beets, carrots and lettuce. Strawberry plants can go in now. If you have newly purchased plants, be sure to soak the roots for an hour, then plant keeping the crowns at soil level. Only fertilize them in August.

Hold off on the "warm weather" plants for another month. Tomatoes, peppers, squash and most flowering annuals can go in about June first.

In mid April, we started seeing many pink flowering trees in full bloom. These are flowering plums. Two good varieties are "Newport" and "Thundercloud."

May 1 is almost here. If you grew up making May baskets, why not do it again? Just take any small container. Glue on a pretty picture or piece of prepasted wallpaper border. Poke holes in both sides for a ribbon or wire, then tuck in a few posies. They don't need to be anything fancy. It's the idea that counts.

Now sneak over to a friend's house, hang your basket on the doorknob, ring the bell and run!!

OK, you're wondering if it's still too cold to plant your geraniums outdoors. Here's an easy way to tell. Stand outside in your underwear at 4 in the morning.

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.