As it begins to warm up in gardening zones 4,5 and 6 we can look forward to finally getting our hands dirty after another long winter. It's still not frost free yet - but things are definitely looking up!

The First Week of April: Indoors - Transplant warm-season vegetables to large containers. Pot up summer-blooming bulbs for planting out in May. Outdoors - Plant, transplant all hardy plant materials. Divide crowded early bulbs, summer and fall blooming perennials. Prune trees, and shrubs (except early spring bloomers) Fertilize emerging perennials lightly.

During the Month: Prune trees and shrubs and continue pruning shrub roses. Shear or mow to 5" winter damaged ground covers. Deadhead bulbs but leave foliage to yellow and wither in order to nourish bulbs. Apply pre-emergent weed killer to outdoor storage areas. In Zone 6 - continue spring cleanup and prepare your planting beds for spring planting. Service any irrigation systems and begin hardening off annual seedlings. In Zones 4 and 5 begin Spring cleanup (lawn and garden). Begin your rose care program and finish the major lawn care maintenance.

The First Week of May: Plant bare-root plants, evergreens, container grown trees and shrubs and ground covers, perennials, annuals, summer-flowering bulbs, tropical water lilies and containers when the danger of frost has past. Divide crowded early bulbs and perennials. Sow and transplant (with protection) warm-season vegetables.

During the Month: Complete pruning of winter-damaged trees and shrubs. Prune needle evergreens putting out new growth as needed. Continue to deadhead early spring-flowering bulbs, early annuals and perennials to promote rebloom. Fertilize needle evergreens. Feed annuals and container plants and bulbs as they finish blooming. As the month nears it's end continue Spring cleanup. Mulch and edge newly planted beds. Set stakes, poles and trellises. Begin weeding and thinning your vegetables. Begin watering if the season is unduly dry. Put fish in the lily ponds ad begin moving cool-temperature house plants outdoors for the summer. For you lawn in zones 4 and 5 finish the major cleanup work and fertilize cool-season grasses for the second time.

April and May in the Midwest is a very busy time for gardeners. Both flower gardens and vegetable gardens require quite a lot of cleanup after the hard and damaging winters. In the end, however, when everything begins to bloom and flourish, the Midwest has the most variety and beauty of all gardening areas! So lets get busy, folks and prepare for another season in the garden!