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Winter Garden Schedule

<<>> This winter garden schedule is for all of gardening enthusiasts!

Winter is a time of reflection and peaceful pondering . Once the holidays are over , we have a chance to re-group and think back on last summer’s blooms.

But wintertime is definitely not an end to garden activities. Not at all. That’s the thing about gardeners. Thoughts of garden plans, cooking with herbs, more garden maintenance and just being outside and enjoying nature, are all year round activities.

Here in the Midwest- we northern gardeners have a little breather from many of the garden duties, but there is still plenty to do when the winds are howling and the snow is blowing.

Enjoy this calm and restful period inside your home,but take time for winter walks through your gardens too. Thoughts of the first spring bloom peaking through the snow will keep you warm.


Winter Garden Activities

  • Snow piled on evergreen branches can weigh them down, causing breakage and permanent damage. Knock snow from the bottom branches, working your way upward. Don’t try to knock ice off of your branches- they may just snap. Instead- just wait until the ice melts .

  • Take care of the evergreens-If your trees trees are splaying and splitting from the weight of snow - brush them off too. Tie them with old pantyhose or twine, but don’t forget to remove the hose in March or after the snow season is over.

  • Clean and oil your garden tools. Winter is a good time to take inventory and replace any worn-out and useless pruner’s, trowels, and shovels or other tools.

  • Soak and wash all of your garden gloves so that you’ll be ready to work with clean gloves in the spring. Do you have a ton of dirty gloves ? Throw them in the washing machine (don’t put leather in the machine) and they’ll be clean and ready to tackle the next job come springtime.

  • Gather up your seedling trays and get them ready for this year’s indoor seed planting. Bleach the trays with one part bleach to 10 parts water. Don’t skip this step, because if the trays have bacteria or fungus- the whole batch of seeds you’re planting next could be ruined.

  • If you have a bright sunny window- grow herbs indoors for year round fresh flavor. Right about now I start running out of the herbs that I grew last summer. Start your own fresh batch of seedlings to keep indoors or you can plant them outside once they harden off in the spring.

  • View your outdoor gardens after the snow falls. Check to see if the winter view would be improved with a focal point like a statue, evergreen tree or other garden structure.

  • January and February is the perfect time to order the seed catalogs and plan your garden . Take out the garden journal that has all of your summer and fall notes and get busy dreaming! Take garden magazines, photos and clipping that you’ve been saving all year and get to work creating a garden vision. Do the research needed and put your plan to paper so that when the springtime comes- you’re ready to dive into garden projects. Browse through the seed and plant catalogs and order seeds now. Any outdoor plants won’t be shipped to you until the appropriate time for your particular planting zone.

  • Grow easy, paper whites, amaryllis, and other forced winter bulbs in a bowl or vase . Add a few rocks on the bottom of the container ; enough water to barely touch the bulb. Place the bulbs with the tips facing up, and watch them bloom. <<>>

  • Stock up on bird seed and suet,and continue to feed the birds. Hey, it’s cold outside -the birds that are hanging around now need to eat more than ever for energy just to stay warm. Fill your feeders during the winter months after you've cleaned them in the fall.

  • Keep your holiday poinsettias alive in a sunny window. Clean up dead leaves immediately to prevent fungus and bugs. Don’t be surprised if your plants get leggy after 3-4 weeks. You can try to cut them back and save for summer planting in the garden.

  • Now is a good time to cut check on and water geraniums and other plants that are over wintered.

  • Keep your sidewalks ice free organically. Use sand or organic kitty litter instead of salt to melt the ice on the driveway or sidewalks. Salt can wash into your flower beds, which isn’t good for your flowers or lawns . A non-chemical kitty litter with pumice or vermiculite will provide traction, and cut the ice without doing damage to your garden.

  • Clean out your window boxes – throw away the dead cool weather flowers and keep only the fresh evergreen boughs and dried flowers that the birds and winds haven’t taken away. If the flowers have seed pods- it’s a great source of food for the birds during the winter months.

  • Bring home a colorful bouquet of fresh flowers for your dinner table and anticipate the summertime when you can pick from your own cutting flower garden.This is an important winter garden schedule activity!

  • Visit the indoor gardens in your community for the fresh smell of blooming flowers and musky foliage. It’s an instant mood lifter for the winter blues!


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    Spring Garden Guide
    Plan Your Garden


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