Plenty of gardeners feel anxious about the coming of winter and snowy weather. This is mostly because the garden doesn’t see much action then and popular landscaping projects are put to rest until the thawing effect of spring touches the place.
Believe it or not, there are still some projects you can address in the winter. It is not only possible, but it is, in fact, the best time to do so. Whether it be on your own or with a landscape company by your side, you surely do not wish to miss the opportunity to get some work done. Here is what you can work on:
Attracting birds and other wildlife – now, you may be used to all the flowers and butterflies in the warmer months of the year, but they are not around in the winter. What you should do is think about the backyard inhabitants, which fall in the category of year-round residents. You can make your garden more appealing by inviting overwintering birds. Do this by adding a bird feeder and shelters for those feathered friends. You can establish such features that work with the natural environment of your garden. Don’t place the feeders and shelters just anywhere, but pick places that keep them safe from predators.
You can work on the hardscaping aspect – when the trees lose their leaves, you can get a better picture of what the structure of your yard looks like. With less foliage around, you can assess the areas of your yard in need of more hardscaping. You can add more seating here and there, or extend the patio, for example. You can also upgrade your walkways to make the place easier to access and appear more inviting. If you are really feeling it, you can add a fire pit to a sheltered area for some wintertime enjoyment.
Improve outdoor lighting – since the days are shorter, you need to rely on outdoor lighting. If you wish for your garden to look great by night, consider adding more light to it. You can improve this aspect near the walkways, or provide spotlights for decorative elements.
Think about your evergreens – if you have any fir, spruce or pine trees, you likely enjoy the fact that they retain their beautiful colours in winter. Evergreens always look amazing, because they add some much-needed wintertime colour. If you think it is late to plant those, you can incorporate boughs from wild trees in various landscaping projects. For example, fill a wheelbarrow with boughs and string some holiday lights to add some Christmas charm.
Plan spring projects – perhaps one of the most important tasks you should see to in the winter is planning for spring. Now you can reflect on what plants you had this year and what plants you want to include the next year again. Consider which of them did well and which ones failed to perform in your area. If you are an avid gardener, you might want to take stock of all your garden tools. Now is the time to service power equipment, to get it ready for spring. See if you need to purchase anything new. Consider if you are going to need professional help in the garden and do research on landscaping companies. Maybe you can even get a quote from them so that you can budget appropriately.
As you can see, there are plenty of tasks to do in the winter. It is up to you to address them all and ensure that your garden remains a perfect place when spring comes around.