If there is a late blast of winter snow it is important to provide food for early spring bird arrivals. Robins can be
kept happy with raisins and other cut up fruit placed in
bare spots under a tree.

Clean up seed hulls from under bird feeders.

Put up bluebird and tree swallow houses once the first dandelions start to appear or if you see these birds arriving back.

Get the bird bath set up and filled.

Put up bat boxes.

Early mornings in spring are a good time for birdwatching.

Put out hummingbird feeders so early arrivals have a source of nectar while flowers are scarce. (Mix one part white sugar to four parts boiled water with no colouring. Store excess in the fridge.)

Allow a grace period for animal intruders who have set up house until their young are mature.

If you have had problems with certain wildlife species in your garden and would like to put up fencing, do so early so they do not establish the habit of coming to your garden.

Remove winter mulch (place in the compost) to allow the soil to warm up. Permanent mulches should be left in place.

Add more organic material (manure or compost) to the soil as soon as the soil is workable.

Clean up the dead stalks of last year's perennials (leave them over the fall to provide shelter and possibly seeds for birds).

Put excess grass clippings in the compost pile. You can use layers of dry stalks and twiggy stems between layers of grass clippings to give you better compost and avoid smells.

After spring thaw till any areas of green manure (annual rye grass) into the soil to decompose these and enrich the soil.

Bare-root deciduous trees and shrubs should be planted early in the spring.

Red maple, birch, dogwood, beech, poplars, willows, ash, elms, white oak, hemlock, and larch are best planted in the spring.

Start seeds indoors. Some hardy plants are best planted outside while it is still cool - e.g. Larkspur and sweetpeas grow well planted outdoors in cool weather.

Transplant flowering shrubs before the leaves start to appear.

Divide and transplant later blooming perennials such as beebalm, black-eyed Susan, or bergamot.

Prune most trees in late winter or early spring before growth begins. Do not prune while wood is frozen. In most areas of Canada with cold winters, a spring pruning gives the trees and shrubs the best opportunity to grow and heal over the pruning cuts. Fall or even late summer pruning can cause winter damage.

Summer-flowering shrubs (such as potentilla and hydrangea) should be pruned before growth begins in spring. Spring-flowering shrubs (such as lilac and forsythia) should be pruned after flowering.

Cedar hedges can be safely pruned early in the growing season and if necessary again by midsummer.

Repot container plants before moving them outside.
This should be done every couple of years when the
roots begin to creep out the bottom or the plant begins
to look deficient. For young growing plants it may need to
be done several times a year.