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

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.

While other parts of the country are still buried under a thick blanket of snow, here in the Deep South, the azaleas are already in full bloom and the first bright green leaves on the trees are beginning to unfurl. What better time than the first day of spring to launch our new website dedicated to your lawn and garden!

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.

If you spend a lot of time gardening, you know how handy a potting bench can be. Not only does it give you a convenient place to work with your plants, it also keeps the inevitable mess that goes with it confined to one spot.

With drought gripping much of the country, and the price of water on the rise, it’s become increasingly important to know how much water you use to irrigate your yard as well as how much it costs.

Not all outdoor painting projects are equal. You may have several types of surfaces to paint outside your home and each has its own unique method to ensure success. Here are a few tips that, hopefully, will keep your colors and your painting experience bright.

Here’s the chance to showoff your shed. Simply send us a picture of your shed. The most creative and unique entry will receive the Rubbermaid Supreme Garage Organization Kit. Since we don’t want to leave those of you out who are in dire need of a new shed. You may also send us a picture of the dilapidated eyesore in your backyard that the neighbors have threatened to burn down, or the pile of stuff you plan to put in your shed when you get around to building it. The most desperate entry will win an autographed copy of Joe Truini’s book, Building a Shed, to guide you on your way.

The Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus) strikes fear in the hearts of homeowners, particularly residents of Hawaii and the southern United States. According to a report by the Department of Agriculture, it is one of the most destructive pests in the country. Each year over $1 billion is spent in the U.S. for preventative and remedial treatment and to repair damage caused by Formosan termites.

One of the most visible things you can add to the exterior of your home is fencing. Before you get started on a project like this, make sure you identify your property lines. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve heard a homeowner tell me about all the hard work they put into erecting a fence only to have to tear it down because it was built on someone else’s property!