The real cause for concern, if you need something concrete to worry about, is the freeze-thaw cycle that is the Homer bane.

But we have been having such a classic winter so far that my money is on March pulling through with a good deal of snow. The more snow we have coming into spring the better. There is no better mulch. So if March brings us snow, sing praise to its glory.

I have been dragging my feet on getting the tuberous begonias potted. Now, these are, to me, glorious plants. I have four dark rose, rose form tubers that are treasures. I keep them over year after year. The tubers keep getting larger and this is why I am hesitating getting them into pots. They may be too large.

There is fear in my heart. It took me too long to find the correct color and form. They have to be this particular pink because they are playing against a mass of bleeding hearts. One year the window box was full of salmon begonias (although the label said “pink”). I flinched each and every time I walked past the planting. Goodness, who needs that?

Plus, I don’t really know how to do it. That is the fear factor. Common sense tells me to just cut them in half, let the cut side dry for a few days and pot it up.

Now, I am an intrepid divider of perennials. I think nothing of going after a clump of iris with an ax. Daylilies? Let me at them. But these begonia tubers are a whole different story. They are the stars of the window box that is one of the first things that we see as we come home. It sings out “welcome” as clear as a bell. And I have been challenged finding the correct color and shape. Now that they are mine I want to keep them forever. Which includes dividing. Hmmm. Wish me luck.

Take a good look at your begonia tubers. Are they showing signs of life? Or are they soft and shriveled. The later does not bode well. These will need to be tossed. But the juicy ones will be begging for soil. If you left yours in their pots over the winter, fine but I am a believer in fresh soil. Wouldn’t you want to start the season with fresh soil if you were a tuber? Of course.

Soil is cheap. Go buy a bag, now. My tubers are stored sans soil, on a tray. They are showing lots of life, the time is now.

Just fill the pot with fresh soil and nestle the tuber down, keeping the concave side facing up and out of the soil. I have seen successful begonias that are completely buried but I fear rot. By leaving the surface above the soil water will not pool and all will be well. Give them a good watering and put on a sunny window sill. Give them a quarter turn every few days so they don’t grow in just one direction. They will love you.

If you are new to these beauties: they love the north side of the house, out of the wind. Mine are uprights but you can go for trailing that look lovely in baskets. The wind can ruin them fast, so make location a priority. I always add pansies, lobelia and whatever catches my eye that hangs. It is a winning combination.

The pelargonium, commonly called geranium, is an Alaska favorite. I think their popularity stems from their ability to become a house plant for the winter. I take mine and stuff it in a corner in the guest bedroom. There it withers back to nothing — until now. Now is the time to jump into action.

Out of the pot it comes, I knock off the old soil, cut the straggly thing back to a stub and start all over again. If yours is showing signs of life, you can easily make new ones from cuttings.

That is the thing with geraniums, they can quickly get out of hand. Either you will have zillions of them, or your friends will. You need to recognize the moment when enough is enough.

Most of the geraniums here are zonal. There are actually 230 species and they originated in South Africa. (Wouldn’t you just love to see South Africa in bloom? There are so many plants that originate from there). Keep these out of the wind and rain but they do like the sun. The best spot I have found so far is in front of the greenhouse. It is in a medium size cedar tub and seems quite happy with its lot in life. If you haven’t much of a garden these make an excellent plant for your deck.

Take a good look at your fuchsia. Now, there are more than 100 species with 8,000 hybrids and cultivars and we have Central and South America and New Zealand to thank for them. If you stored yours over the winter, pull it out and take a good look. You may need to give it a little shaping. If it has developed new growth, it will be weak and is best cut off.

Be brave. Give the plant a nice pyramid shape, and pinch back the tips as the winter weakens and the plant gains momentum. This tip pinching will give a nice stocky plant with lots of blooms. Give it fresh soil, water and a sunny window.

Stand back.

Any of these plants that have origins in climates that have absolutely nothing in common with ours should give you a clue as to their culture. You will want to protect them as much as possible. Too much: wind, rain, sun, shade, heat, cold, will make them unhappy. These are not easy plants. Find the location that makes them and you happy and stick with it.

For those of you who start your own seeds, dust off your gear. The time is fast approaching. This will be the first time ever I start onions from seeds. And I’m doing it just to see if I can. The tomato seeds are calling ... .