Some say fall is the best time of year to plant a tree, but many garden enthusiasts embrace spring as the time to establish new roots. Autumn Ridge Nursery has more than 250 types of trees you can buy online — everything from the American filbert ($5.95) to the yellow transparent apple tree ($8.50). Another great source is Tree Heaven, where you’ll find gorgeous spring trees like dogwood ($8.99) and Japanese maple ($10.99), along with a variety pack of 10 quality trees ($24.99). Heronswood’s top tree picks include the sycamore maple ($21.95) and a birch from Nepal ($18.95) along with the glorious magnolia ($21.95). For something more exotic, consider the palm tree selection at Aaron’s Nursery. But it’s hard to top this offer from the Arbor Day Foundation: If you join the foundation for $10, you’ll receive 10 free trees. Before you start digging, consult the Plant Hardiness Zone map: That’s where nurseries categorize plants, flowers and trees according to numbered climate zones, to make sure your favorite tree is suited for your area. At Arborday.org, finding your zone is as simple as putting in your ZIP code, and the shipping schedule outlines ideal delivery windows. You can even use the handy Tree Guide to get a complete picture of almost any tree. Don’t be afraid: Most online nurseries provide a 100 percent money-back guarantee on the quality of their trees.

The top four candidates – Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Barack Obama – are in a fast and furious race for the White House. But just because the frontrunners are making their cases about serious issues like health care and the Iraq war, a cottage industry of unofficial campaign gear – particularly T-shirts – is helping voters keep their sense of humor. At Hillaryclintonismyhomegirl.com, there’s a smooth nod to hip-hop in this spunky, pop art T. Those who heart Huckabee can tell the world that their candidate is an unbeatable superhero with this clever “Incredible Huck” shirt. For the more conservative among us, a traditional McCain for President T-shirt may be the best option. Yet even Mac lovers will want this silly “Maverick McCain” piece inspired by the Old West. But it’s Barack Obama, the youngest and arguably hippest candidate who has inspired the most creativity among fans. Obama T-shirts offer mottos including “Barack and Roll,”  “Party Like a Barack Star,”and “Barack to the Future.” Whoever you endorse, no doubt you’ll have fun finding just the right shirt to help spread word.

Rare is the opportunity for guilt-free shoe shopping. Most of us have more pairs than we need and have to rely on juicy rationalizations to justify our excess. With Toms Shoes you can indulge your footwear obsession and cultivate some good karma at the same time. The formula is brilliantly simple: Whenever you buy a pair of Toms, a pair is donated to a child in need. Founded by Blake Mycoskie in 2006, Toms “Shoes for Tomorrow” was born out of a desire to produce a line of comfortable footwear that would improve the lives of impoverished children around the world. Toms design was inspired by Alpargatas, the traditional shoe of Argentine workers which Mycoskie had taken to wearing during an extended trip to that country. After witnessing extreme poverty in villages where few children had shoes, he produced a version of the Alpargata for men, women and children using brighter colors and different materials. Toms average $40 a pair and come in more than 20 colors and styles. There are suede Toms, corduroy Toms and solid Toms. They come in plaid and herringbone, plus there are dressier Toms in gold and silver glitter, camo Toms and tiny Toms for kids. Since being introduced, Toms has given away over 50,000 pairs of shoes in Argentina and South Africa. Toms are carried at big department stores as well as smaller boutiques around the country, but we like buying online, where you can view the entire collection and see some moving footage of their first shoe drop in Argentina. There you’ll find more Toms Stuff – T-shirts and caps, web exclusives and the incredible Feed Project Bag. Toms are feel good shoes, so check them out, tell your friends and pay it forward.

The only certainties, so it’s said, are death and taxes. We know taxes are due in several weeks. It’s our uncertainty about when we’ll die that has inspired a new breed of web site designed to help us rest assured that every detail has been taken care of. You Departed bills itself as an online storage facility where you can place all the information your family and friends will need in the event of your death. Things such as how to access your email and online accounts; the combination to your locker at the gym; the exact translation of the poem you’d like recited at your funeral. Touting the security of their service — your information is encrypted using the same technology “the National Security Agency approves for sending TOP SECRET documents worldwide” — You Departed offers three pricing levels, payable annually. Though all of the sites let you store the information of your choosing, Letter From Beyond, My Last Email, and Post Expression focus less on utilitarian documents. They promote the value of creating final personal messages to be distributed per your instructions. My Last Email offers two services: Online Memorials (for you to create) and Online Obituaries (created by your survivors). A memorial might contain photographs and video, or heartfelt letters to those you haven’t spoken to in years. The material only becomes available after your death and only to those you have authorized. The appeal of an obituary is that it remains online for as long as your survivors like and allows those you knew to add their own tribute or message of sympathy. At Post Expression, you have the option to create unique groups of messages for recipients such as Classmates, Ex-Girlfriends, My Chidren, etc. You can also specify the exact number of days, months, or years after your death that you’d like the messages delivered. In this age of online friendships that circle the globe, it could be reassuring to know that your fellow polka enthusiast in Finland, who your kids don’t even know about, will be notified when you inexplicably stop replying to his Facebook posts.

Given Mother Nature’s increasingly erratic behavior — some observers say “global warming” is less descriptive than “global weirding” — it’s probably not a bad idea to think about emergency preparedness, even if you don’t live in an area historically prone to tornadoes or hurricanes. A new $150 emergency radio from Eton wraps a number of useful functions up in a single, well-designed package. The most basic ingredient of its ready-for-anything recipe is its hand crank: Though it will happily run on AC power or, once the power goes out, on batteries, it’ll keep going even after all your AAs have died — all you have to do is turn the crank for a while, and an internal generator will charge it up. What’s better, the unit can transfer that juice to your cell phone. Naturally, the gadget receives not only AM/FM radio broadcasts but NOAA’s weather band. The unit’s communication functions aren’t all one-way: It can function as a walkie-talkie, a siren or a flashing emergency beacon that can be set to automatically spell out S-O-S in Morse Code. It’s water-resistant, and can be used as a flashlight. The only feature we don’t anticipate wanting? The built-in alarm clock. Surely one good thing about being caught in a natural disaster is that you get a temporary reprieve from having to be up early for work.

The Zaky is one of those clever inventions I wish had been around when my children were babies. It is a soft, heavy pillow shaped like a hand and forearm, which can be placed next to, over or curled around a newborn. A mother can make the Zaky smell like herself by sleeping with it on her chest for a night, then placing it next to baby. For premature babies in neonatal intensive care units, the Zaky simulates the feel and smell of their mother holding them, even if she cannot always be with them in the hospital. The Zaky helps full-term newborns stay propped up correctly in their car seat, carrier or stroller (I used to roll up clean dishtowels and prop them next to my infant son, to keep him from tilting over and getting scrunched in one corner of the car seat). You can also use them when putting baby down for the night, after warming them up in the dryer. They come in beige (pictured), blue or pink and are fully washable ($49.95 each or two for $37.46 each; order here). Something else you’ll probably be buying once baby arrives is birth announcements. Baby’s Here offers birth announcements printed on recycled paper.) They have photo announcements, traditional announcements and invitations to baby showers. You can also get a free pregnancy ticker to add to your Myspace, Facebook or other personal web page (a sample one reads “My pregnancy is sailing along, only 123 days to go!”); the program updates the number of days automatically. That might be a little too much information to share with everyone who can see your site – but every mom chooses a different way to count the days down.

When did the phrase “go fly a kite” become a putdown? To me, that sounds like the makings for a pretty wonderful day. When I was a girl my sisters and I used to get those inexpensive nylon diamond-shaped kites ($6.95) every March. But kites have changed a lot since the ’70s, and now they come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors and even performance grades. From the ultra-cool Sopwith Camel airplane kite (on sale, $21.95, pictured) that would keep the Red Baron on the run, to fun Sky Dancers ($14.65) perfect for kids 6 and older, there is probably  the right kite for anyone. Today, kites are big business and with some practice, you can make the leap from pretty butterflies ($9.95) to a serious stunt kite like the Maestro ($119.00). But if it’s just a lazy, simple afternoon in the park you’re looking for, this dragonfly kite ($9.95) is both beautiful and has “realistic wing flapping motion.” For a little more flair, sail the skies with this 3D pirate ship ($22.99) or the seemingly less floaty R2D2 ($33.29). But if DIY is more your style, you can learn how to make your own kite with this semi-ambitious craft project. Whether you’re going for high-flying objets d’art or want a kite that can actually do tricks, embrace the art of kite flying this Spring.

As someone who has gulped hard upon seeing the price tag of his last few eyeglass purchases (”this flimsy clip-on sunglass unit is how much?!”), I was very interested to come across this online manifesto at GlassyEyes.com, declaring that “eyeglass stores are for suckers.” The author, a guy named Ira, isn’t as snide as that makes him sound; he actually gives the issue pretty calm consideration before deciding that, while he’ll pay a trained pro to examine his eyes, he’ll happily compromise when it comes to buying frames he may break or lose long before they’ve justified the high retail price. GlassyEyes has been up for more than a year now, long enough to accumulate testimonials from readers who have followed Ira’s advice. Ira and his readers review individual online dealers (there’s also a link to an independent resource, Eyeglass Retailer Reviews). Opticals4Less and Goggles4U get high marks from this gang, with some users scrounging around to find complete sets of prescription specs for as little as $8. That’s extreme, but plenty of these places offer decent-looking glasses in the $20 to $50 range. With all the money you save, maybe your next eyewear purchase can be these $1,600 spyglasses that not only look slick but conceal a tiny, built-in camcorder.