Getting rid of the old: You can't really begin to look at the future of your garden until you've cleaned up the past. Removing dead annuals that remained through the winter months, and pruning back perennials is a good place to start in the garden. Many perennials never shut completely down in the winter, but may need their tattered leaves trimmed back.

Shrubs and plants with wooden stems need to be cut back in either autumn or spring because they only bloom on new growth. Pruning in the spring limits water damage to the plants and encourages the new branches to grow. It's best to wait until the first spring buds start to open on the base of the plants before starting to cut them back.

Soil: Testing soil before adding new plants each year is essential to see how balanced everything is. Most plants get their initial growing burst early in spring with rich healthy soil, so you can start by adding compost, manure, or an organic or synthetic fertilizer.

Grasses: Cut ornamental grasses back as soon as you can. Cutting them within a few inches of the ground will encourage new growth and they'll spring up when they're ready.

Roses: Roses that are grown in warmer climates never go dormant so need a good pruning to shock the bush into waking up again. Prune them back as the buds begin to show up for the best growth.

Trees and shrubs: Evergreens are easy to take care of and require very little pruning but can use a little extra fertilizer in the spring. If you have trees that flower you'll want to prune later in the spring, after their initial blooms so you don't cut off the new buds.

Most spring blooming trees and shrubs set their flower buds in the summer or fall of last year. Pruning them in the spring, before they've bloomed, would mean pruning off this year's flowers. Here's a list of spring bloomers to prune later in the spring.

weeds: Early spring is the time to stop weeds from forming. Damp soil makes it easier to pull those new seedlings and a good slow acting weed killer can help keep your unwanted guests to a minimum throughout the year.

Compost and mulch: If you have a compost pile, as most avid gardeners do, you can clean up your last years left-over's into your compost pile. Don't put weeds in there though, as they'll come back to haunt you later. Throw out any plant materials that show signs of seeds, weeds or sickness to keep your compost pile healthy and fresh.

Mulching conserves water, cools down the sun bathed plant roots, and feeds the soil. Every garden deserves a good thick layer of mulch to support growth. Wait until your soil has dried out before doing mulch for the year and keep it away from the seedlings as they may become suffocated by good mulch.

Transplanting and staking: Spring is the ideal time to divide and transplant various plants. They will recover more quickly in the spring if you work on them early enough and they have wet, healthy soil.

If you are staking your plants, it's easier to start sooner, when plants are younger, smaller and more resilient. Even though they may look a little funny for a few weeks, it will alleviate the headaches of trying to pull multiple leaves and stalks from a mature plant onto a stake.

To finish your garden spring cleaning, take time to make a crisp clean edge on your garden. This will not only give it a polished look, but will prevent grass and other lawn mixtures from slowing creeping into your garden.

A few hours of hard work, spring weather and help from mother nature will have your spring garden blooming and flowing over with beauty in no time. It will be worth your effort to take time in the spring so you can reap the rewards throughout the rest of the year.