Things to do this week:

* Control petal blight. This disease browns camellia flowers and lasts from year to year on dead flowers and leaves that have fallen to the ground. Just about the only control is to rake up flowers and leaves and send them to the dump. Mulch the bare soil with compost or ground bark after all flowers have fallen.

* Buy bulbs. Bulbs that were planted in the fall are already beginning to bloom, but there are other bulbs that flower in summer instead of spring. These are available at nurseries now and should be planted soon. Several summer favorites are gladiolus, tigridia, dahlia, the fancy-leaved caladium and the powerfully fragrant tuberose.

* Pinch pansies. To keep pansies blooming for months, pinch off flowers as they fade, preventing seed formation. Some fanatics will let their thumbnail and the nail on their middle finger grow a little longer in winter to make pinching easy. Fertilize pansies and other winter flowers with a fertilizer you mix into a liquid, such as Peter’s or Miracle-Gro. These work best in cool weather.

* Pick peas. Ornamental sweet peas should be picked almost daily to keep them blooming. Never let seed pods form; try to pick flowers for the house every other day. Sugars in edible peas quickly turn to starch, as they do in corn, so pick often and use quickly.