Do it now If your spring bulbs are done blooming, you can go ahead and snip the flower stems, but don't cut back the foliage. Leave it in place until it withers and yellows. The foliage is what feeds the bulb to produce next spring's show.

Don't mulch your garden until early to mid-June. Gardens need to be exposed to the sun for a while to help prevent mildew and fungus.

Prune spring-blooming shrubs (lilac, forsythia, azalea and rhododendron) after they've bloomed. But don't wait too long. You only have about a month or so until they set their buds for next spring.

CONNIE NELSON