Here it is, Easter Sunday already. It seems like it was just Christmas! Today will be a busy one for most folks, what with church and then a big dinner. The bigger your family the better. Since the little ones have grown up, our Easter egg hunts continue with the adults ... at least we thought they were adults until seeing how they fight over a silly little egg.

Did your Easter cactus fail to bloom for you? These so-called Holiday cacti all have the same requirement. In order to set buds, they must have an extremely cool location. A chilly windowsill will work, but only for the side facing the window. Once buds have set on that side, give the plant a half turn so the other side will bud up.

It is still too early to fertilize your lawn. You need to wait until about the end of April. The grass cannot use it until it begins actually growing and the ground warms up a bit. If you apply it too soon, it will just leach into the ground where the roots can't reach it and will be wasted.

Aerating lawns needs to wait a bit also as the ground is much too wet and soggy at this point. Running that heavy equipment over the lawn will just compact the soil. Aeration works best when the lawn is just damp.

Another chore to do as soon as the ground dries up a bit is to clean out those flowerbeds.

All that tall dead growth is looking pretty pathetic about now. Chop it to the ground and rake out the leaf and needle debris. You may be surprised to find some bulbs and perennials already blooming so rake carefully.

If you haven't already trimmed back your roses, do it now. Don't cut the canes back more than one third of their height. Cut all dead canes to the ground and most important, take off all the old leaves and pick up those on the ground. These are the harbingers of rose diseases such as black spot and mildew.

This seems to have been a mild winter as most of the perennials fared very well. I hate to say this too loud as we could still see some nasty weather. I have my fingers crossed.

To stop weed seeds from germinating in the beds, now is a good time to sprinkle with Preen. The only downside is that it will also stop any volunteer flowers, such as annual poppies, larkspur and cosmos from coming up. Too bad they don't invent a product that can tell the difference.

Are you growing Lenten roses? The actual name is Hellebore ... (no wonder they have a nickname.) Anyway, these are usually the first of the perennials to bloom. They're not actually in the rose family at all. These guys appreciate a nice shaded location, with some morning sun. They have large leathery leaves and sport very interesting flowers in shades ranging from pink to green. The blossoms earn their keep as they last a long time.

So, here's the plan ... tomorrow you'll get up bright and early to enjoy a day of 70 degrees. April Fool ... !! Sorry, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity.

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.