Winter Garden: An Opportunity

Many of your potted plants may be in the greenhouse, garage, or in the house for winter protection, leaving patios looking a little less than inviting. But I find that winter time provides an excellent opportunity for getting in the deep cleaning every yard needs. With less foliage, you can get into nooks and crannies, ridding them of all those crunchy leaves. The sparse beds call for a fresh covering of mulch or freshening up the old mulch. We trim back trees and shrubs, power-wash walkways, do repairs on fences and other outdoor structures, and clean the patio furniture. We work slowly all through winter when the weather permits. It is time consuming but the results are always worth it.

When we have been diligent, we usually have our yard cleaned up by mid-March when the threat of frost is almost past for our zone. We rest a few weeks, then get right to planting by the first week of April. Or, if we really want to hurt ourselves, we just keep working. The winter clean-up makes it easier to concentrate on planting new annuals. All we have to do when the hot weather arrives is sit back and enjoy the show!