Keep scattering compost on top (without smothering anything). Worms, weather, weeding and moving plants will eventually mix things up. I toss a handful here and there whenever given the chance and also mulch with compost in the fall.

Also, don't be too tidy about removing plant debris. It just ain't natural to be able to see bare, brown dirt - I'm always amazed when people scrape all this composting material off their beds. Unless it's diseased or harboring pests or is choking things out, leave it to do it's job to enrich the soil.

C.

Chris_Ont certainly has the right idea. Also, in perennial beds where I can't see the plants in spring, I spread compost and manure in the fall, when I can see them. I have heavy clay, so you can bet I use a lot of rotting leaves which have to be worked into the soil a bit.

I tend to wait until the perennials pop up their heads, and then just 'stir' last year's mulch into the dirt (checking for icky things like larvae, fungi, and the like) soak the whole things with fish emulsion and water, and then put fresh mulch down.

what's fish emulsion?

Fish emulsion is a thick brown liquid thats made from fish. Perhaps rotten fish. Its a great fertilizer if you can handle the smell.