Too often we wait until the sun is shining and plants are blooming to think about how our gardens would ideally look like. We are obviously outside more often during the warmer months of the year, so we notice the garden more and start having ideas on how to improve it.
By planning ahead and getting your garden in shape during the late winter, it will be much closer to your vision by the time the sun is shining.
Here are four reasons to begin planning your garden right now.
Winter Gardening Means Less Disturbance
Planning ahead and getting your garden in order during the late winter months will cause a lot less disturbance to you and your family, as well as any wildlife that frequents the area. The spring, summer and autumn bring plenty of opportunities to enjoy the garden, and it will be much more enjoyable if all the digging, designing and rearranging has been taken care of ahead of time.
It is also the best time to undertake any large garden projects that have the potential to disturb wildlife. There are a lot less animals and insects around during the late wintertime so get all the big garden work out of the way now. Just keep a eye out for critters in bushes, long grass plants and even bark chippings, that may have chosen your garden as a nice hibernation or cocooning spot.
Winter Replanting Causes Less Stress on Plants
Relocating plants will cause them a lot less stress if it happens during late winter as they are still in hibernation mode and thus not expending energy on growing or flowering. No matter how gentle we are when moving them, their root systems are disturbed and they will need time to bed in to their new topsoil. Winter is the ideal time for this job as the plants are preserving all their energy for basic survival.
A winter plant-relocation project also provides ample opportunity to examine which plants are worth keeping, as some may have deteriorated and are only ripe for replacement. Taking care of this business now will afford you time to plan what plants you want to introduce to the garden, whether it is a vegetable patch, some fresh lawn turf or a nice cluster of rhododendrons.
Time to Research Plant Varieties
If the outdoors work is finished or there is little to do, then it is time to get warm and cosy on the couch with a couple of seed catalogues and start perusing all the many different varieties of grass plants, flowers and veg