Bill Welter, owner/grower at Victor Hlavacek Florist & Greenhouse, Winnetka

Christa Bormann, sales manager at Heinz Brothers Greenhouse in St. Charles

"The number one question I get, and not just in spring, is 'how often to water.' Whether something is newly planted in the ground or in a container, I say to water once a day for two or three days to help the roots grow into the surrounding soil, and then let it rest for a couple days. Once a plant is established in the ground, watering once a week is usually sufficient. Containers will usually need more frequent watering."

"I would say that customers are looking for low-maintenance plants, and also something for maximum color. Low-maintenance plants I'd recommend for sun would include sedums and daylilies. For part shade, campanulas. For shade, hellebores and hostas. The customers who do a lot of container plantings are interested in finding plants that will make good color contrasts."

Richard Peterson, general manager at Perricone Garden Center in Volo and Woodstock

"In spring customers often come in with a piece of plant material and wonder if it's dead or dormant. If you scratch back the bark and it's green underneath, and if it has some buds along the branch, it's usually alive. With evergreens, if the needles are brown but there's a fleshy tip that's green underneath when you scratch it, again it's probably alive, although the brown needles will fall off."