In established perennial beds that performed well the prior year, working in some additional compost around your plants to fertilize them is the best thing you can do (beyond the tasks discussed on Page 1). Also remove weed plants as you encounter them (including old, dead growth you didn't remove in the fall) -- no sense in letting them get ahead of you.
While on the subject of compost, note that it's not just for planting beds. Most all your plants (including the grass in your lawn and your trees and shrubs) will enjoy a feeding of compost in the spring (later in the year, too, for that matter). The great thing about using compost as a fertilizer is that you never have to worry about burning plants with it. Compost is nature's slow-release fertilizer.
If you must use chemical fertilizers, always be careful to follow the application directions, because chemical fertilizers will burn plants when used in excess. The one chemical fertilizer that really is convenient (at least in theory) is the "Weed and Feed" type that contains a preemergent herbicide to prevent crabgrass (see below).
To open up brand new planting beds, you have a few options, including:
If you've just opened up a planting bed by breaking new ground, you can be sure that weeds will find it quickly ("Nature abhors a vacuum"). That's why, in some situations, it's smart to lay a landscape fabric over the ground, and cover it with a layer of mulch (the mulch protects the landscape fabric from harmful UV rays). I don't like landscape fabric in vegetable planting beds, where I like to be able to reach down, scoop up a handful of soil and admire its fertility up-close and personal; I prefer just a straight mulching here (straw is my favorite). But in a shrub planting bed, these weed barriers are a great ally in helping you achieve a low-maintenance yard.
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