Five things to do now for a great spring garden:

#1 Dahlias:  Dahlia" Karma Fuchsiana" 4 ft tall, gorgeous cut flower.

Dahlia Seattle             

Order now for the best varieties- dwarf for short bouquets, no staking
                                                      24-40"  for long stems and lots of flowers
                                                                   also good in the garden for show

Dwarf Gallery Art Fair

 www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com

#2  Order plant Catalogs -   I use garden catalogs to plan my colors.
It is good to know that some have very accurate pictures -
www.whiteflowerfarm.com
www.waysidegardens.com
I don't necessarily trust the recommendations, but the colors are true.
Blackmore and Langdon delphiniums (very finnicky but gorgeous) are
one of their specialties.  Less finnicky and fun to put in containers; Aster
Frikarti Monch.

#3 Order flower seed catalogs-  www.shepherdsseeds.com
very nice selection of veggies, flowers and herbs.

#4 Order herb plants or plan to purchase them at a nursery already grown:
Take a long time: Parsley, Thyme, Lavender, Rosemary, Chives.
These are cool weather plants -- If you live
in zones 2-7, order them to arrive about 2 weeks before cold weather
plants can be set out in your area: www.TheHomeDepot.com
Bonnie Plants are excellent, well-grown herbs and veggies.
Your State Co-operative Extension service will have than information.
In CT, it is April 10 or so.  I will put the plants out in the sun for an hour
or two every day for a week, then pot them or plant in the ground.

#5  Prime yourself:
If you have cabin fever or want to see what the rest of the plant world
looks like, plan a trip to your local Botanical Garden or Flower Show.
www.NYBG.org  is for the New York Botanical Garden.  There is a huge
glass house full of plants, trees, cactus and fountains that make a one day
tropical vacation, for just the price of admission.