Coming into Winter in Your Garden
Winter is a slower season (depending on where you live) when it comes to growth, because all the juice/energy of plants goes down into the roots. Even if you live in an area with mild winters, there is still plenty to do in your garden.
Here's a list of projects to consider for the coming winter months of December through February.
Gutter Cleaning
This is important during the rainy seasons to make sure your gutters/downspouts are flowing and clean. Anytime the leaves/pine needles start falling its good to keep an eye on them.
Planting
Fall and winter are ideal (except for deep freezing areas) for planting trees and shrubs, because we have 6 months of wet/cool weather patterns to help establish rooting before the hot/dry summer weather comes. Make sure to work around freezing temperatures if you have them in your climate.
Pruning
With the leaves down you can easily see the whole structure of your deciduous trees/shrubs that need pruning. The cooler seasons are ideal in general because the plant juices tend to be down in the roots, and not up in the leaves and branches.
Lawn Removal
This is easier done when the lawn you want to remove is moist, but not muddy. I recommend removing lawns by hand so that you can preserve/work around tree roots if need be, and also get all the grass and weeds down to the root.
Bark Mulching
This is a great top dressing after a lawn removal for bare dirt areas. Apply extra thick for areas you don't want to encourage any growth. Remember not to put it thickly around plant roots where the stem goes into the ground. This reduces the capacity of respiration.
Here's a recent testimonial from a garden restoration project in Southern Oregon.
"Brian is an enthusiastic and expert gardener. He did an extensive pruning and cleanup of my front and back yards that completely transformed them. I appreciate that he checked in with me regularly about how things were progressing and was always willing to identify plants and advise me about taking care of them. I feel inspired and empowered to garden myself, or to consult Brian again for more garden care as needed. Meet with Brian for a consultation and you'll see right away that he loves what he does and also brings a perfect blend of energy and knowledge to his profession."
Lisa Wagner
Ashland, OR
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