Winter's chill is slowly letting go of its grip in the Triangle garden. As temperatures rise, bask in the warm sunshine and prepare your garden for the glories of another spring growing season.

• Apply fertilizer. Established roses, shrubs, perennials and trees will especially benefit from the additional nutrients of a time-released fertilizer or completed compost.
• Let bulbs brown. Allow the foliage of naturalizing bulbs such as crocus, daffodils, hyacinths, ipheion and species tulips to turn brown before pruning it back.
• Increase the bounty. Divide and transplant asters, bleeding hearts, astilbes, ajuga, oxalis, coral bells, phlox, hostas, liriope, daylilies, shasta daisies and other similar perennials.
• Contain your mint. Unless you want a fragrant, rampant groundcover, plant mint in a pot to keep it from running crazy through the garden.
• Give your lawn mower a checkup. After disconnecting the spark plug, lift the lawn mower up and examine the blade for warping, cracks or deep indentations and replace if necessary. Next, examine the spark plug. If the tip is blackened or heavily corroded, buy a new plug.
• Prepare before planting. Soak the roots of bare-root shrubs and trees overnight in water before planting.
• Prune warm-season bloomers. Cut back such bloomers as buddleia, althea (Hibiscus syriacus), crape myrtle, pomegranate and vitex early in the month for more summer bloom.
• Plant cool-season vegetables. This includes lettuce, kale, onions, spinach, potatoes, sugar snaps and radishes. In the middle of the month, plant beets, broccoli, cauliflower and Chinese cabbage.

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