By now you've probably got the rest of your vegetable garden planted. It got so cold the week before Memorial Day that most of us were still toting the tomato and pepper plants in and out daily.

If you're wondering when you can prune back that lilac bush, do it now. There's a window of about a month after they bloom. After that, you'll be cutting off the buds for next year's flowers.

I'm still hearing people talk about how peonies won't bloom without ants. Bull feathers! The only reason those ants are there is because they like both the sap from the buds and the honeydew secreted by the aphids who are also there for the sap. The biggest reasons for peonies not blooming is either recently being moved or being planted too deep. Keep the "eyes" at 2 inches below soil level or less.

I had to dig and divide about 20 types of irises in my front bed last summer. For that reason, I wasn't expecting many to bloom. What a surprise when all but 2 shot up bloom stalks. I have early, middle and late blooming varieties, so there are blossoms coming for over a month.

If you grow Virginia Creeper vines, chances are you have problems with something sucking out the juices and making the leaves drop early. This is very likely caused by leaf hoppers. Because these vines are so long and tall ... (mine grow up my pine trees), spraying is difficult and not very effective. Before you see damage, dig in some systemic crystals along the root areas. This will be taken up by the vines and will kill the pests when they start nibbling away.

Watch out for those garden thugs ... you know, the plants that come back every year, bloom and then spread by seeds and roots ALL over the place. I don't mind those that are easy to pull and don't come back from each tiny missed root piece. I'm talking about the really nasty ones such as Bishop's Weed, aka Snow on the Mountain. This one is one of the worst. Pulling it out is a big waste of time as they will return, count on it. Your best bet for this one is to spray with Roundup. You may even have to do it twice.

Another one that is extremely persistent is Centaura, aka perennial Bachelor Button. This plant can spread seed far and wide. The blue flowers are pretty ... but then there is mint. Avoid it like the plague ... as that's what it is. The ONLY way to grow mint is in a container set on a hard surface. If it sits on the ground, it can sneak out through the drainage holes. It took several years to get rid of it in my yard.

Hopefully, your containers of annuals have filled out and are beginning to look like the pictures. The hanging baskets are always the hardest to keep watered. The larger the basket, the better. Be especially vigilant on windy days as they can dry out faster than a speeding bullet.

We are going to have a perfect summer this year. I know this because a little birdie told me so.

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 currently the secretary for the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.