March has its ups and downs, this year more up than down, what a fickle month, especially for the gardener. And it's not just the weather, but the mind and body. Beautiful sunny days motivate us to get out and get physical. Our muscles need to reacquaint themselves with gardening moves, the stretching for weeds, the bending to get to the weeds and the sawing off of wayward limbs on woody shrubs. March is after all, a call to action, the month before it's "in your face April".

There are a few things best accomplished while it's early in the gardening year. Here are just a few:

Lift and divide perennials that are overcrowded or in the wrong location (exceptions - peonies, lilium and poppies)

Beg for a piece of that special perennial from a friend while it's still dormant, before they remember how fabulous it is

Start looking for signs of aphids on honeysuckle vine and other newly leafed plants, take action

Organize your garden shed and lubricate your clippers

Label metal markers for all of the new plants that are coming, so planting will be fast and easy

Finish pruning crossed branches on trees and shrubs and cut back your butterfly bush

Direct sow nasturtium and sweet peas in the ground

Spray dormant oil on deciduous trees before they leaf out, especially if you have scale

Take note of the cold tolerance of various perennials and shrubs. Varieties that perpetually freeze in flower or bud may need to be moved to the coldest part of your yard to delay flowering.

Sow seeds of pepper plants and various herbs indoors so that they can be moved out 5 to 7 weeks from now

Eastern tent caterpillar hatch when magnolias bloom, be prepared to take action (spray BT or bacillus thuringiensis, a biological pesticide on the foliage they will be eating)

Keep old sheets around to cover tender shoots on newly emerging perennials and shrubs. Plastic is not an insulator but can be placed between 2 sheets for added wind protection.

Get stocked on compost to amend new planting holes

Lightly topdress the garden with mulch or compost

If you haven't already, start a journal to record temperatures, keep stock of new plants, and favorite articles about wonderful plants

I also recommend that you take a photograph of your garden, particularly when you don't like how it looks. Take 15 minutes to snap a few shots each month and keep them in your journal as reference. This can be particularly helpful when you're buying new bulbs and am not sure of what you already have. Winter can be greatly enhanced with a few, strategically planted, structure plants. Placement will become quite clear when you have a visual reference or photograph .