ELAINE CERNY: MY GARDEN PATH — It’s here… the first day of spring!

We’re all wishing and hoping for spring to get there. The good news is that the calendar is saying, “First Day of Spring” on March 19. That’s more like it. Now that Daylight Saving Time has started, we can enjoy some more daylight.

We are in either zone 5 or zone 6, depending on your elevation. Dates for planting perennials, blueberries and strawberries are April 8 to May 20 for zone 5 and March 25 to May 15 for zone 6.

Be sure to add some acid fertilizer when planting blueberries. Strawberries and most perennials will be happy with a more balanced type. Give them sunshine and regular watering and they should take right off.

Helleboros (aka Lenten roses) are blooming now. These are usually the first of the perennials to do so each year. Others will be following very soon, depending on the weather, of course.

Those of you who’d like to grow seed-bearing perennials should be on the lookout for some of the following: Blackeyed Susans, Bee Balm, Coreopsis, Sedum, Gaillardia, Coneflowers, Goldenrod and Asters. These are all very easy to grow and have long bloom periods. They make seeds, which will produce more of the same plants.

If you want to grow dahlias and tuberous begonias, I hope you’ve been able to find some in the stores and get them potted up before long. One of my dahlias has had such long sprouts that I had to plant it early. Now it has gotten carried away with itself and is already more than a foot tall. That’s a little much for March.

For those of you having trees and shrubs that need trimming, this is a good time to do it. Remember, only prune when they don’t have leaves. Once they leaf out, leave them be until late next fall.

Another thing to remember is to avoid trimming any early bloomers, such as lilacs. Doing so now will cut off this spring’s buds. Wait and do this task shortly after they are finished blooming.

Once the snow has gone, go ahead and start cleaning up your yard and beds. Cut down the tall, dead perennial stalks and rake out old leaves and needles. Watch out for new growth coming up. You don’t want to accidentally cut it off.

Be sure to clean out any birdhouses if you’re hoping for nesters to move in. Some of them show up quite early. Tree swallows for example. It’s nice to have them living in your yard as they really take a toll on some of those nasty flying bugs. We can all appreciate that!

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Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is currently an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls. Her column has appeared in The Press every other Sunday from early March until late October for the past 12 years.