Happy Easter Everyone and Happy Spring! Easter is a new beginning and that's what spring is. Don't you just love it? Ok now, lets roll up those sleeves and get dirty. I never thought I'd be so happy to clean. Clean the winter out of my garden that is. Rake or blow away all those left over leaves from last year. Let those bulbs breath. Tulips, Daffodils, Crocus and Hyacinths among others. My favorite is the Hyacinth. It smells so sweet. It makes a great cut flower and lasts long indoors. For me it always completes the rite of passage for spring. And, unlike snow, which has a limited color palette (primarily white), Hyacinths have a brilliant array of colors to choose from. I love the deep pink ones. And lastly, their sculptural shapes create a setting as simple as it is elegant.

Tulips are also one of my favorites. Check out how nice they look in my front yard. It's always best to plant them in clusters to show them off. The first time I ever planted bulbs, I followed all the directions. I dug the right depth. Spaced them the right spaces and fed them bone meal. They love bone meal...and so do Squirrels! Is there anything squirrels don't like? Well, the next day most of my bulbs were right back up there again, not in bloom, just the bulbs lying on top of the soil. That's how we all learn. I still put bone meal on my bulbs, but now I stand guard all night. No I'm just kidding, what I found helpful is, after I put the bone meal on I water them thoroughly and then cover the ground around them with mulch. Lots of mulch!

Another beautiful site in the spring is the flowering tree. For about 20 years now I have this gorgeous American Beauty Crab Apple Tree. For two weeks out of the year and usually around Mother's Day, It blossoms into the most beautiful awesome specimen loaded with fuchsia colored flowers from the bottom of the limb to the tip of the tallest branch. Then, once the pretty pink petals fall, its like a summer snowfall, only in pink. The rest of the year this tree is the biggest nuisance you ever saw. The leaves start to fall in JUNE. Then silly looking marble sized apples come and drop all over the ground. The bird's don't eat them and that's ONE thing squirrels don't like because they won't even eat them. Well, this past December, and I do mean winter cause it was about 28 degrees, I was decorating the tree with lights and got the urge to "trim" it.

Sorry, but you will have to wait till the next issue and I'll show you how I trimmed this tree. I don't have any pictures now, but the only thing blooming on that tree this spring will be birdhouses! That's right, I'm going to get more birdhouses and decorate the limbs.... I mean tree. And I just know it will be beautiful. Anyway, I'll have more sun in that spot, for sure.

Shirley Ciculya - Shirley has dedicated a major portion of her life to her gardening, both outdoor and indoor. She has a wealth of creative genius that can knock you off your feet, whether she's gardening, decorating the house for Christmas or preparing for a garden show. Other talents include exquisite ceramics and detail painting.