1. Cut off the old fern fronds nearly to the ground, so new ones, called fiddleheads, can come up unencumbered. Clean out any dead leaves from other plants as well. For instance, the old flower stems and leaf bases on birds of paradise become unsightly with time can be removed fairly easily with a sideways tug. Even houseplants, such as parlor palms, look better with some grooming. Remove dead leaf bases after they have dried. This cleanup treatment makes a wonderful, refreshing difference in the appearance of many plants.

2. Aphids multiply quickly in springtime, sapping the strength from a wide array of plants and producing sticky honeydew. Aphids are easily controlled with an abundance of ladybugs, or by periodic applications of insecticidal soap or malathion. However, you may also need to put out ant baits in order to solve the problem. Believe it or not, ants protect and nurture aphids, gently “milking” them for their sweet honeydew secretions. So do your best to keep those ants under control.

3. Keep ahead of fungus ailments on roses and fruit trees, by spraying with fungicide every ten days until mid-June. Typical spring fungus diseases in Southern California are powdery mildew, rose rust, and blackspot on roses, and botrytis or brown rot on fruit trees needs to be prevented with springtime sprays. Effective spray materials have triforine or chlorothalonil as the active ingredient. They work by keeping fungi from spreading to new growth.

4. Apply the second of four feedings for mature citrus trees as soon as possible. The first should have been applied in February, and after this one, additional feedings should be done in late April/May and again in the latter part of June. For each feeding apply 0.4 pound of actual nitrogen per tree per year, spread all around the drip line. Since one pound of any dry fertilizer equals about two cups, that means each mature tree should get about six cups of 15-15-15 plant food, or four cups of ammonium sulfate (formula 21-0-0), two overflowing cups of ammonium nitrate (formula 34-0-0), or 1.5 cups of urea (formula 46-0-0), each time you apply it.

5. Camellias perform best with a springtime feeding, using a slower acting, balanced plant food. There may also be time to do some light pruning, if necessary, before new growth emerges. This season has been relatively free of petal blight, the damp-weather fungus disease that causes camellia flowers to turn brown and rot. However, wise gardeners will remove dead and fallen camellia flowers, since they tend to harbor spores that could rekindle the fungus next season.