Expert Advice for your Lawn & Garden TV Host of Today's Homeowner^® and home expert for The Weather Channel

Every spring, birdwatchers across the country welcome the return of hummingbirds as they migrate north. These tiny, beautiful birds are a delight to watch as they hover and dart throughout the garden, and the males put on quite a show as they protect their territory and attract mates. And while hummingbird feeders do provide nourishment to the energetic birds, let’s face it – an active feeder is a source of pure pleasure for gardeners and bird-lovers alike.

Well pruned shrubs and trees are a hallmark of a carefully tended yard or garden. Foundation plantings are lush and full, and blooming shrubs display their blossoms on shapely branches that accentuate each plant’s unique style.

Spring is on the way, and warm weather is beginning to peek around the corner, inviting us outdoors and begging gardeners to get their hands dirty. But unless you live in a tropical climate, there is still plenty of freezing weather to come, so don’t get ahead of yourself! Resist the urge to set out new plants, and use this promising season to pay a visit to your garden and tend to what’s already there.

Determining when to plant in the spring can be harder than predicting the ups and downs of the stock market. Part science and part superstition, deciding when to plant is the biggest decision of the year if you farm for a living. For the rest of us, it usually just means a little extra work and another stop at the nursery if the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Creating great soil is like making good lasagna according to Florida landscaper Rachel DeToro. It’s all about layers. Not pasta and cheese. Organic material on top of organic material.

Starting your own plants from seed is a great idea and here’s a trick for simplifying the process of transplanting them to the garden. Save your old eggshells and situate the empty half shells in an egg carton.

We’re all interested in making our money go farther, and the money we spend on landscaping is no exception. The first and most obvious idea is to not waste your money. Lots of homeowners spend huge amounts on plants that end up in the wrong locations.

Removing buds (or debudding) is sort of like thinning a fruit tree. You hate to do it because every bud you take off will eventually bloom. However, for the biggest flowers, or in the case of fruit trees the biggest fruits, you should debud or thin out.

Gardens require maintenance, there’s no getting around that fact. Most of us, however, don’t have very much time to dedicate to those chores, so we’re looking for ways to at least reduce the amount of maintenance our gardens require. One solution is to begin with good soil.

A good way to increase humidity around potted seedlings is to set a couple of seedling pots in a larger container of pebbles. The pebbles should be about fingernail size, and there should be just a small amount of water in the pebble container- enough to create humid conditions but not enough to touch the bottom of the pots.