Winter Gardening Chores

Cold weather does not mean that all outdoor gardening must cease. Now is a good time for some of those garden chores that will help you be better prepared for spring.

For starters, clean up the perennials that you allowed to remain, whether as food for the birds or to add some winter interest to your garden. Cut back coneflowers, ornamental grasses, and such. Then “fluff” your mulch with an iron rake. This will help alleviate compaction that occurs during the winter months. And you do not have to refrain from planting something. Check your local nursery for bare root trees and shrubs.

This is also a great time to prune deciduous trees and bushes. You do not have to fight through the green growth of spring and summer, plus you can better see what needs to be pruned; e.g., branches crossing and scraping other branches or a shape that is not quite to your liking. Cut out suckers under such bushes as that large forsythia you so dearly love when it blooms in the spring. Or you can do like me and dig some up and plant in other places for even more bushes.

Finally, do not forget to give some attention to your gardening tools. If you are like me, you might have a bad habit of leaving tools about the yard where they tend to rust. Gather them up, clean off the rust, sharpen, and oil.

Now kick back with your gardening catalogs and start planning for spring.

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