You can be your own source of houseplants

Propagate houseplants. Softwood cuttings, leaf cuttings, air-layering, cane cuttings or division may all be done in spring.

• Be sure to keep watering any evergreens that are planted in containers outside when temperatures are warm and conditions are dry. Evergreens continue to lose water through their leaves during winter and can be affected more quickly as temperatures begin to warm up in late winter.

• Clean any bird feeders periodically as moldy seed can make birds ill. Flush out old seed and debris, and then scrub with a mixture of water and chlorine bleach (one ounce of bleach per gallon of water). Rinse well and allow to dry out before adding new seed.

In between these cleanings, shake to dislodge compacted seed when refilling hanging feeders. Dump out all wet clumps of old seed. If possible, it is a good idea to sweep hulls off platform feeders on a daily basis.

• Check your yews and arborvitae for deer damage. The recent heavy snow may have pushed more deer into home gardens in search of food with yews and arborvitae being favorites. Use garden netting or chicken wire to protect any plants that have or are sustaining damage from feeding.

• Tim Johnson is director of horticulture at Chicago Botanic Garden, chicagobotanic.org.