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It's May Day as I sit by the computer. My list of must do garden projects is much longer than the list I will complete. But then its spring and every spring is that way. I'll quit complaining and offer some observations.

A lot of us are complaining about the spring, but I'm not. My small flowered magnolia and my PJM rhododendron (small flowered) were gorgeous. This is one of the few years that they haven't been at least nipped by frost. In all honesty we had a very gradual and very consistent warm-up this spring.

That is great since many of our early spring blooming shrubs come from the maritime climates of Asia. Maritime climates warm gradually, unlike what we generally experience inland.

Sure it has been a bit cloudy and rainy. But I remember last summer and surprisingly my retention or runoff pond is about dry. Three or four years ago the goldfish in it provided a handsome meal to a visiting great blue heron.

It is also not time to give up on your late emergers. Butterfly weeds and hibiscus top the list. It's too early to start ripping out supposedly dead plants. I was also a bit surprised a few hours ago to see that the warm season ornamental grasses have yet to emerge.

For those of you thinking of adding grasses to your garden it is time to start thinking. You still have lots of time to do it. Several years ago I planted nearly identical pots of ornamental grasses. One was done in April the other in late May or early June. By mid summer the late planting had outgrown the one planted in April.

Speaking of not rushing the season, the list of "don't plant now plants" is dwindling rapidly. The weatherman is painting a happy face for the remaining danger period but I still counsel caution with the very tender annuals.

Recently I have had a lot of questions about that small shrub with the pea-like flowers and green stems. That's Scotch Broom. The Latin starts with a C but I'm not sure I want to remember it.

I've been playing with it for three or four years. Every fall it looks great. Every March it turns black. So far it always sprouts from the ground but never quickly enough to show much bloom. I haven't checked it yet this year. I'm about to think that that one is not worth the effort.

We need to realize that March winds are one of the toughest stresses that our garden plants face. Notice the burn on many evergreens and the apparent death of some early pruned shrubs.

I'm hearing bad reports on early pruned butterfly bushes. Mine are just now starting to show life and most of that is near the base. I know some of the tags say prune in February but that doesn't work. I need to prune mine soon.

What works best is what you learn by trial and error in your garden. Reading books and asking questions of fellow gardeners can be a great help but will always be secondary to what you observe in your garden.

I don't care what the foundering fathers said. If I understood a rash of recent questions, all dirt is not created equal. In fact it seems that lots of people are unhappy with the dirt in their gardens.

Unfortunately, unless we are increasing the organic content, most of our efforts generally make the situation worse. The secret to good dirt is uniformity. You may think that it is lousy but if it is uniform there are many plants that it will make happy.

One recent question suggested that you add sand to clay soil to make it lighter with better water drainage. The last time I tried that it was in a wheelbarrow and I got cement even when I added pebbles by the shovel full. Why not pick plants that can handle clay soils?

Another questioner wanted to add topsoil to make raised beds in an area that was too wet in the spring to get the lawn mower through. My guess is that if water is reaching the surface from under ground, that area will be very wet regardless of what is done. The better solution might be to select plants that handle boggy spring conditions. In today's environment many gardeners are trying to create these conditions.

My advice is that if you have an existing property, your chief garden concern should be weed control because your soil will easily grow most of the plants you want with little amendment. I would say the same for new construction unless ALL the topsoil has been stripped away. If it has try to get some of the original topsoil back.

The other common practice that recent research suggests may be questionable is adding topsoil. A bit earlier I identified uniformity as the goal. When you add foreign topsoil to your existing soil the research suggests that it is almost like putting a wall between what is there and what is added. If you must add topsoil it should be as nearly alike what you have as what you get.

People often question how I can grow anything when they look at my soil. It looks like I have just enough soil to keep the rocks from bumping into each other. In fact it does quite well, and I confound the unbelievers even further when I discredit watering and much fertilization. But that's another sermon.

The one thing that is lacking in most of our soils is organic matter. Add compost as you wish. The secret is to mix it in. Remember that uniformity is the key to success. Make your own compost. Use finely chopped leaves. Add straw laden manure. Use peat moss if necessary. If you are adding green or uncured organic material remember that the decomposition process will rob a bit of nitrogen from the soil.

That's this weeks thoughts from a simple gardener. I know that you can take that several ways but you know what I mean. Why fight what you have? Work with it and nature will work with you. Keep it simple.

If you read any of the gardening magazines you realize that there seems to be a constant stream of new plants that we can try in our gardens or containers. Some times one longs for a slower pace without the suggestion that you must try this new plant.

That said, I guess it would not be spring if I didn't make a brief effort to describe some of the new plants that are out there. One trend that seems to be emerging is the use of more plants whose claim to fame is only their foliage.

One such plant is dichondra "Silver Falls." My first glimpses and pictures I have seen suggests that it trails like a million bells petunia. It will be grown for its small, silver fan-shaped leaves. It likes the sun and seems to tolerate dry conditions. Sounds like it would be a good addition to a mixed basket or container.

Another one that is in almost every publication is Purple Majesty millet. When I think of millet I think of bird feed. However, this one appears like a winner if one wishes a taller purple grass-like plant for the center of a container or as a specimen in the garden. It does get a heavy seed head and that suggests the birds will like this one when the seeds mature.

The final foliage additions are several new plectranthus or Swedish ivy. One called Mona lavender has nearly black foliage. The other, Nico, had dark green leaves on top. The underside of the leaves have a strong purple cast.

Another trend, which may be peaking, is the use of bold tropical looking plants. We have all known about elephant ears since we enjoyed its shade in our grandmother's gardens. The green form she had comes from a tender bulb that must be brought in for the winter.

Now there are newer forms that have black foliage with green stems. The reverse is also out there. A third one has green stems with foliage that is mottled black and green. Except for color these have the look of the original elephant ears. However, there is no bulb. You can save these by digging the plant and bringing it inside.

One of my favorite plants from my grandmother's time was the annual dianthus. I remember collecting their seeds so that we could keep them from year to year. They always were easy and performed well. There is a new one out this year called "Corona Cherry Magic." It is touted for more and larger flowers.

Prairie Sun is a new annual rudbeckia. That's black-eyed susan for those who are still struggling with Latin. What makes this one interesting is that the eye is green rather than black. The petals also exhibit several shades of yellow.

Of course there are new cultivars of many of the common plants. For example there must be a zillion new petunias out there. I still like the waves that will cover more territory for the buck than any plant I know. And this year a blue one was introduced. The real waves still have a limited palette of colors but there are now look alikes in most colors.

Sorry, but once I get started it seems the list is endless. There are enough that maybe I will revisit new plants again soon. The long list of new plants may be a complication but it is also a source of great joy as we plan this year's garden.

I can't wait for the next warm afternoon so that I can head to the creek in back of my house for a long leisurely soak.

No I'm not crazy, I'm just trying to get the attention of the few of you who will be tempted on the first warm day to rush to a nearby greenhouse and rush some tender annuals into your garden. Your garden soil is probably the same temperature as my creek and those tender annuals will react about the same as my body would to a long leisurely dip in the creek.

You can find plenty that can be planted now but there are also lots of plants that won't be happy in the garden until warm temperatures are a bit closer. One suggestion when you visit the greenhouse is to observe where the plants are displayed. If they are outside and have been there a bit they are ready for the garden, If they are in a warm greenhouse, pause or at least ask for advice, before you rush them to the garden.

Recently I was reading about phenology. That's the study of the relationships between plants and animals and their local climate. As a kid I remember my father and grandfather suggesting that you don't plant corn until the leaves on the white oak were the size of a squirrel's ear.

That was a long time ago but there are more. Transplant melons, eggplants and peppers when the iris blooms. You could add flowering vinca, tropical annuals and maybe even impatiens and begonias to that list.

Another one is plant peas when the forsythia blooms. Here add pansies, venedium, nemesia and cape daisies.

Or how about, plant beans, cucumbers and squashes when the lilacs are in full bloom. Most annuals are safe by that time too.

One more, plant lettuce, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, beets and carrots when leaves first begin to appear on the lilacs. On the flower side add at petunias, lobelia, snapdragons and most likely geraniums.

Before you dismiss phenology, an increasing number of computer programs being used for growing or predicting insect problems are based on this type of research and knowledge.

Phenology may have been one of those things that our grandparents depended on before we had fancy hybrid seeds and modern weather forecasting. Regardless, when you are playing with the weather you must always expect the unexpected.

Right now there is plenty ready to plant. Just exercise a bit of caution and always ask for advice. If you don't, join me at the creek. We'll throw your plants in. They probably won't be able to tell the difference from your garden soil and we'll be a lot warmer than if we went in ourselves.

The garden is teeming with little critters called insects. Most are benign and there are many more good ones than there are bad ones. The problem is that we only think about the bad ones and often our actions make things worse.

Most likely the worst problem we encounter in early spring is aphids. They like it cooler so they often fade as a problem in hotter weather. They also are favored by timely moisture. Thus one needs to think about aphids more if one has a cooler damp spring.

One source I read suggests that there are over 4,000 species of aphids worldwide. There are not all in my garden but I often see green ones, rosy ones, brown ones and yellow ones. Each species has its favorite plants.

Aphids have piercing, sucking mouthparts that feed on young stems. As they feed they excrete a sugary juice that often leads to the growth of sooty mold and an unsightly appearance. This honeydew also attracts ants. That's not a problem, but seeing ants is often an indicator that aphids are present.

Huge populations may damage growing tips, distort leaves, cause yellowing and stunt growth but the biggest danger from aphids is that they spread virus and other diseases.

In general aphids have a normal sex life but as their population soars only females exist. They bear live young quite rapidly. Another feature is that in large populations winged aphids appear. I guess they are like us and prefer to escape the crowds and head for the countryside.

Sufficient control can be obtained with insecticidal soaps. You can buy them commercially or make your own with a ten per cent solution of most liquid dishwasher soaps. Horticultural oils also work well early. Be careful with oils in hot weather. If you have fruit trees the spring oil spray is the most important spray for insects including aphids.

Of course there are other stronger chemicals which can be used. Thought is needed here. Chemicals you have available often kill all insects including the good ones, which may be worse than the original problem. Commonly used Sevin kills aphids but is steroids for mites. I would rather have a few aphids in the spring than be plagued by mites when it is hot and dry.

In parting, the key to a healthy garden is a happy plant. The secret is not to stess it too much or to make it too happy. Lush growth from excess fertilizer and water is a magnet for insects and disease problems.