On Easter Sunday many of you will be surrounded by new flowers and plants. It's a good time of the year to put these new bushes in the ground. Be sure to water new plantings and blooming shrubs, such as azaleas and rhododendrons, regularly. If you would like a nice shot of color early in this spring season pansies are a good choice. You can put these outside in pots and they will survive freezing temperature and even a late snowfall.

To keep your Easter lilies blooming longer, place them in indirect sunlight in a cool room. When the flowers open up, pinch off the yellow anthers.

Once your blooms have faded and all danger of frost has passed, remove the lily from its pot and plant it in a sunny spot in the garden. Easter Lilies like lots of water and good drainage. Be sure to mulch the roots of the plants during the winter and remove the mulch in spring. You'll enjoy your Easter Lilies for years to come.

If you like the look of lilies there is a whole host of ornamental lilies that can be planted with bulbs now. These plants are beautiful, come in a variety of colors and many have spectacular fragrances. There is a pest called the lily beetle that has been plaguing these plants for a few years. The beetle is bright red and comes out in late spring soon after the lilies are a few inches high. If you do not have the time to monitor your plants for this bug, I would not suggest you plant ornamental lilies.

Day lilies another lily favorite are less susceptible to pests and a good choice for those gardeners who like a low maintenance plant. There are many varieties of day lily, and they bloom for years to come. If you plant multiple varieties, try to plant ones that bloom at different times to stretch out the color in your yard to its maximum.