getting a little dirt under your nails.

With the warm weather ahead getting your garden in tip-top shape is crucial.

But first you have to figure out what look you want -- whether it be a combination of yellow and orange flowers or the reds, pinks, purples and whites.

There are so many to choose from.

Bermuda Plant Nursery owner Joel Cassidy said right now gardeners can pick from an assortment of flower seedlings from French and African marigolds, gazanias in mixed colours, petunias in an assortment of doubles or singles, straw flowers, which is a dry flower, and snap dragons.

"We also have impatience in rosebud or Busy Lizzy's along with white and yellow daisy bushes,'' Mr. Cassidy said.

He added: "We also have candy tuft which is a small flowering plant for the ground in light pastel colours -- purple, white and pink, chrysanthemums or potted mums in white, yellow, and two types of purple, which are flowering for Easter time.

"And we have the new guinea impatience in 12 colours. We have a lot of colour in here right now.'' Mr. Cassidy said Bermuda Plant Nursery also has a brand new variety for 1997 in begonias in all different colours. There is also a wide selection of hanging baskets ferns, house plants and air plants which are virtually no maintenance.

"We also have soil conditioners and the lowest price of pro-mix.'' Aberfeldy Nurseries front desk general sales person Joanne Pearce said there is an abundance of colour for the spring.

"Right now we have petunias as one of the basic spring flowers and impatience are also very popular. We have three different varieties of impatience -- you have your regular single impatience and then there are double which are called rose bud, and new guinea in an assortment of colours.

"They are easy to maintain and they let you know what kind of stress they are in, if they are wilting give them water and they pop right back, but you shouldn't really let them get to that stage,'' Ms Pearce said.

She added that both the petunias and impatience need protection from the wind.

"They don't have a lot of wind tolerance. For seedlings, the north facing position is not the best, especially for the impatience.'' Ms Pearce said snap dragons are also very popular and they come in different sizes from pixie mix which is eight inches, liberty, which is the second size up from a foot and a half to two feet, and then the rocket snap dragons which are three to four feet. "The taller ones need a lot of protection but the smaller ones will be all right as they are low to the ground.

"We will be getting into marigolds too, which are good for going into the summer, in yellows and golds and oranges. Alyssems are used as a border around other colourful plants either all white or all purple and they have a very nice smell.'' She added that phlox is also a nice sweet smelling flower for the spring. They are a multi-coloured star shaped flower which can get up to 18 inches high.

"People use geraniums and begonias as a fill in for warmer months and they last for months at a time. People really rely on them.

Once you plant them they will stay in and keep growing.

Brighton Nursery's Eddy Simas for spring you can plant anything you want like lantanas, which is a flowering shrub in an assortment of colours, palm trees, roses are also good to plant during this time of the year along with daisies in yellow, white, or pink. Hibiscus' can also be planted.

"Closer to summer you have to be careful of what you plant because it is extremely hot, and water is scarce so you have to go for the more hearty plants like periwinkles, marigolds, zinnias in an assortment of colours.

"Portulacas or porcelain are nice to plant as they close at night and open in the daylight -- we have them in an assortment of colours,'' Mr. Simas said.

He added: "You should not plant things like white daisies, and impatience in the middle of the summer.'' Agriculture and Fisheries plant protection officer Terry Thompson advised gardeners to keep close watch of plants to help prevent them from being overcome by disease.

"For different plants there are different diseases and if a person sees any pest problems they should bring in a sample to the lab. Don't wait for a whole area to die -- be very attentive about what is going around out there,'' Ms Thompson said.

She added: "We are free of charge and we also make visits where we will go out to their property to get a better feel for what is going on. You have to look out for things that do not appear normal like holes, spots and dead areas.

"Some diseases are common and don't warrant control since the plant is in the ground for a limited time.'' If you are not into gardening but want your home to look good for Easter, store-bought flower arrangements in baskets will do the trick and they also make lovely gifts.

At The Flower Shop florists can make arrangements with colourful spring flowers using tulips, daffodils, mixed spring flowers, Star and Bethlehem, boubardea, and spray roses.

They can also use iris', delphinium, snap dragons and freesias. "We also have bunnies and chicks and bears and several styles of baskets,'' a Flower shop spokesperson said.

At Demco Florist owner Lena Araujo said: "We have wonderful things for Easter with a bunny planter that contains a bunny and an upright arrangement in pastels, an Easter weave which is a spring-coloured upright arrangement in a white weave dish, a bunnykins bouquet which stands upright and a girl and a boy ceramic container.

"We use an assortment of flowers including local freesias -- they are more beautiful than the imported ones.'' She added: "We have several different styles of spring baskets and we are also offering mixed bunches of spring flowers from $10 up and lots of stuff -- toys, and candy Easter baskets for the children. We are also selling Bermuda Easter lilies as well.'' Designer Flowers do have some specials with tulips in a fish bowl. People also come in with their own ideas for gift baskets.