If you're one of those gardeners who leaves the big clean-up until spring, now is the time to start gingerly clearing away old and tatty foliage and spent flower heads. Leave sturdy seedheads for another few weeks to provide statuesque shapes, and food for the birds, but remove anything that is rotten or unsightly. Clear away debris from emerging bulbs to let the light and air get at them. Hellebores of the orientalis type can have their old foliage snipped away so that their flowers can be seen and admired; they will appreciate a mulch of well-rotted manure or other nutritious organic matter.
Be scrupulous about pulling out weeds, as many kinds will flower and set seed in a month or two if left unchecked.