Gardening Articles

Winter Gardening Looking Towards Spring

Ok, the title "winter gardening" might be a tad bit misleading. I am not suggesting that you actually garden during the winter but you should be using this time to plan your upcoming garden. As you look out at your yard and garden area during the cold months of winter, let your thoughts run wild and you will be amazed at what images you can conjure up. You might even want to try some of your new found ideas this spring!

1. Pour through garden catalogs, flip the pages and fold down the corner anytime you find something you like. Go back to it often until you decide what new plants and flowers you would like to try this spring.

2. Purchase some gardening books or magazines to get new ideas. Look at what other people are trying in their gardens and see if their ideas inspire you to try something new.

3. Look out your windows and try to visualize how you would like your yard and garden to look like. Study the sun....notice the shady spots.

4. Make a list of what is important to you, in other words, what do you want from your yard and garden? Do you want to create a patio area for entertaining, a vegetable garden so you grow all of your own vegetables, a quiet area for relaxing, or maybe an area that will attract wildlife. Anything is possible but it is important to recognize what you want before you actually start any gardening project. Ultimately, knowing what you want will save time and money!

5. Take lots of notes and draw any ideas you might come up with.(even those ideas that wake you up in the middle of the night!)

6. Of course, visit online nurseries to see what they have to offer. Many sites offer suggestions and interesting gardening articles as well.

Before you know it spring will be here, you will have a shovel in your hand, and you will have a plan! Happy Gardening!

2005, Candee Stark and Flowers & Garden.com

This article is provided courtesy of Flowers-and-Garden.com - You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact. More gardening talk at Flowers & Garden Blog

Related Links:

June Gardening Tips

Easy to Grow Roses

Companion Planting

Latest Gardening News

Cyclamen Season
8 Jan 2009 at 7:19pm
Although many species of cyclamen are hardy, the cyclamen plants sold in greenhouses and stores during the holidays are considered houseplants and require different care than garden cyclamens. But...

Gardening Question of the Week: Any Tips for Growing Giant Vegetables and Flo...
7 Jan 2009 at 7:48pm
We had a post on the About Gardening Forum from 'sunflower_info'. He grows giant sized annuals, like sunflowers, tropical maize, sorghum, millet, and amaranth, as well as a few...

Gardening to Block a View
6 Jan 2009 at 7:01pm
Garden design books talk a lot about the “borrowed view”. But what do you do when the view is less than idyllic? If you’re a gardener, you put...

Flowering Houseplants Worth a Look.
5 Jan 2009 at 7:01pm
Many people shy away from houseplants because it can be hard to provide ideal growing conditions in some homes. But houseplants bring life into a room. As ornamental as houseplants...

Keep an Eye Out for Fungus Gnats
4 Jan 2009 at 7:01pm
It's always puzzling how fast insects can find their way to houseplants, once the windows close. Fungus gnats just seem to appear out of nowhere and begin destroying our...

It's National Mail Order Catalog Month As If We Need a Reason to Look at Gar...
2 Jan 2009 at 7:25pm
Planning season has started and to do it properly, we need lots and lots of plant and seed catalogs. Make sure you're on the mailing list for these top...