Three Worthwhile Gardening Projects You Can Do This Winter

For anyone who loves spending time outside gardening, winter is often a depressing time of the year. But just because the temperature may be too low for your plants and flowers to grow outside, it doesn’t mean you have to stay out of your garden until springtime. There are several winter garden projects which can keep you occupied until the growing season rolls around again.

Here are three garden projects you can try this winter:

Better organization means a better garden.

Now that you have some free time on your hands, why not start planning now for the growing season? Spend an afternoon walking through your yard with a pad of paper and a pencil to create a diagram of your current landscaping. Then head inside to warm up, search through gardening catalogs, and think about any changes you want to make. Once you settle on a plan, you can feel confident in removing any unwanted plants and adding them to your compost pile. You may also want to pre-order any plants or saplings for a later delivery, especially if you are thinking about types which are not generally available at your local garden center.

Prune now for better growth later.

Late winter is the perfect time of year for deep pruning trees or shrubs. Once all of the leaves are gone, it is much easier to see what you are doing and to get a better idea of the overall health and shape of the plant. An excellent place to start is by removing any dead or diseased branches, and then to think about shaping the healthy ones. You can encourage better growth by thinning out any overgrown areas and trimming smaller branches to allow for better air circulation. Try to do your pruning when the temperature is slightly warm and there isn’t any rain or snow in the forecast. Remember to hold off on pruning any early blooming shrubs until later in the spring once the flowers appear.

Start next year’s lawn care now.

While your neighbors may give you strange looks now, they will undoubtedly be jealous when they see your lush green lawn in the spring. Start your winter lawn care by removing any debris or lawn decorations since leaving them over the winter can make brown spots appear on your lawn. Once your grass is clear, roughly rake it to over open up the ground to be more receptive for seeding. Fill in any depressions in your lawn with a new layer of topsoil and then reseed your lawn. Apply fertilizer and remember to cover your freshly seeded lawn with humus to protect the seeds from animals. Homeowners whose lawns are plagued by crabgrass can apply pre-emergent in late winter.

Home and business owners in the Salem area have trusted the landscaping professionals at Green Acres Landscape since 1992 for the highest quality lawn and yard care. No matter what the season or how beautiful your landscaping already looks, Green Acres Landscape can make your property look even better. Call 503-339-8066 to book an appointment or to talk with a landscaping expert.