9. Pour several gallons of water around tree after you have planted it. Transplanted trees need more water than other trees to help them get over shock of being moved.

10. Water your transplanted trees regularly during summer and early fall. For larger trees, give five gallons of water. For smaller trees, give one to two gallons of water. Water your trees every other day if it is dry where you live or if you have drought conditions. If it is raining regularly (1 to 2 inches per week or more), water two or three times a week. Continue watering throughout first year and second year. After trees have become established, you will not have to water them as much, and eventually, you won't have to water them at all.

Observations about transplanting trees:

1. If you transplant a deciduous tree after tree has leaves (oak, maple, or other trees with leaves), and tree loses its leaves, do not give up hope. We have transplanted small maple trees with leaves that immediately lost their leaves. A couple of weeks later, trees sprouted new leaves and went on growing as if nothing had happened.

2. Trees that are watered regularly grow faster than trees that do not receive as much water. A few years ago after we had transplanted a couple of maple trees, I missed one (couldn't see it in tall grass around it). I watered other trees I could see, but one I couldn't see got left out. In fall, I discovered tree I had missed, and I noticed that over summer, other trees had grown much more than one which did not receive water.

3. If you transplant a pine tree and needles turn brown, that's it for pine tree. None of pine trees we have transplanted that turned brown have ever come back.

4. Be careful about digging up trees to transplant that are not on your property. In state of Wisconsin, for example, it is illegal to dig up anything that is in a state park or is growing in ditch along a road that runs through a state park. And of course, if trees are on someone else's property, make sure that you receive permission from landowner.

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Are you looking for a good book to read? LeAnn R. Ralph is author of books "Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm" (trade paperback 2003); "Give Me a Home Where Dairy Cows Roam" (trade paperback 2004); "Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Interviewing Family Members and Writing Oral Histories" (e-book 2004). You are invited to read sample chapters and to sign up for free monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News -- http://ruralroute2.com

For all beautiful colors of spring, consider planting both annual and perennial flowers. Although your perennials will still be around from last year, you may want to add a few of your favorites to replace flowers lower on your list. Annuals are an important part to every garden. They bring some of richest, most vibrant colors to your garden. Plant your annuals from starters if you want an early spring bloom. Make sure that you plant annuals in areas of your yard that get at least five hours of direct sunlight per day. Don’t be cheap on plant food and watering, and you will ensure your flowers get right ingredients for full, healthy blossoms.

Once initial preparing and planting are finished, you can sit back and relax, letting your sprinklers do rest of work. If you work hard early on, your hardest task in summer will be choosing which flowers to make cuttings of and create bouquets for kitchen and dining room. Enjoy fruits of your labor… until next spring.