Here are some suggestions about what you should be doing at this time of year to get your perennial plants off to a great start in the upcoming growing season:

• Remove any mulch that you have used to protect perennials for the winter once you are fairly confident that severe cold temperatures are behind us. I am not talking about the permanent mulch that sits on top of the soil around the plants, but rather the extra layers of straw, evergreen boughs or other mulching material that you may have used for extra winter protection. Hardy perennials (those rated Zone 4 or lower) can handle frost without protection once they begin to grow, but if temperatures take a severe dip for an extended period of time, new growth can be nipped and frozen.
• Once the snow has melted and temperatures begin to warm, the leaves, stems and flowers of most of last year's perennial plants look dead, dried up, or gooey. Most perennials can be cut back to ground level now if you have not already done so. The new growth that is beginning to emerge will look much better if you get rid of the old growth now. This is particularly true of ornamental grasses. Waiting too long results in having to work around the new growth to avoid damaging it while getting rid of the old growth, which can be difficult, time consuming, and not always successful. The exceptions to this would be any perennial that is considered evergreen or semi-evergreen, such as Bergenia, Shasta Daisy, Hardy Geraniums, and many groundcovers. Some or all of their leaves may remain alive throughout the winter and should not be trimmed off unless they are dead. Another exception would be woody perennial plants, such as Tree Peony or Butterfly Bush. These are as much shrubs as they are perennials and only the woody growth that does not survive the winter should be cut off. If you are unsure whether or not you should cut back a perennial, do your homework first, either online or with books, to determine your best course of action.
• A light spring application of a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10 for example) is generally all that is needed, and should be applied at the beginning of the growing season. Most perennials, if they are well-suited and adaptable to the soil in which they are growing, do not require heavy fertilizer applications. Some perennials may benefit from additional fertilization after blooming (such as Bearded Iris and others that have a larger, more tuberous root). Experience will teach you which plants seem to need more feeding.
• Refresh the mulch you use in your perennial beds to keep perennials happy throughout the growing season. Mulch helps maintain constant soil moisture and temperature, so you will be happier, too, since you won't have to water as much as you would without mulch.
• Spring is the best time to divide many perennial plants. They suffer much less transplant shock if you do this when the new shoots are just beginning to poke out of the ground. If you are well organized, you made a list last summer of what plants are beginning to look crowded or overgrown. If you didn't and can't remember which ones need division, remember to write a note for yourself in the coming growing season. Not all plants should be divided now. For example, Irises are best divided in mid- to late summer. There are other exceptions as well, and if you are unsure, it is best to research your particular plant for the correct time to divide.

It sounds like a lot of work, but on a sunny, warm day in late March to mid-April, there are few things as enjoyable as spring clean-up.