Winter gardening: Tips and Tricks | Tracer Pool & Landscape

If you think you have to settle for dying plants and wilting flowers this snowy season– think again. Winter gardening is the perfect way to turn your sad, leftover garden from the summer into a winter wonderland that’s cheery and bright!

So, we’ll talk about why you should garden this time of year and give you some tips for creating the most amazing spread amidst the snow.

Why the frosty season is a beautiful time to garden

Okay, we can’t pretend that the winter season is as colorful and bright as the spring and summer. We get it, all of the pretty, orange and red leaves from autumn have fallen and turned into crispy brown pieces. But, this doesn’t mean that December through March has to be such a bleak and dreary time of year.

There are so many winter garden ideas out there that can turn your bare and dull leftover garden into a surprisingly beautiful scene. And flexing your green thumb during the chilly months is actually pretty easy when you know what you’re doing. That’s why we’re here to help you figure out how to make the most out of your winter garden at home.

But first, let’s talk about why these frosted gardens are so good for us.

Winter gardening provides more than just a pretty sight

Unless they’re true snow bunnies, most people are less outgoing in the wintertime. And, who could blame us for wanting to stay inside our cozy homes when there’s a dreadful blizzard going on outside our windows?

But, staying cooped up indoors all day and night means we don’t get the adequate sunlight we need to absorb Vitamin D, which contributes to a positive mood. This is why many people get hit with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD (the acronym may be too on the nose), when the temperature drops and there are fewer hours of daylight.

The good news is that winter garden arrangements can have a huge impact on your mood when all you want to do is curl up in bed and stay there all day. The main two reasons why gardening during this time boosts our mood are because it gives us access to nature and offers amazing, vivid colors.

It gets you outside

When you engage in winter gardening, you have to be outdoors in the sunshine, no matter how chilly it may be. This can improve your mental state because studies show that getting out in nature and observing living greenery and flowers is excellent for curing the winter blues.

It lets you enjoy bright colors

Likewise, winter gardening lets you soak up all the bold and beautiful colors from berries, stems, evergreens, or winter-flowering plants that permeate the chilly air with pleasant scents. Seeing bright colors has been psychologically proven to boost our moods. I mean, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t feel a little better from looking at gorgeous, vivid colors on a grayish and dull day?

So, now the question is: What do I put in my garden this winter?

Outdoor winter garden ideas

Your main options for what to fill your garden with this season are winter flower beds that can persist through the icy weather and keep blooming, berries, evergreens, dogwoods, and shrubs that flower in sub-zero temperatures. Thus, a spread with any of the above plants is essentially what a winter garden is.

These plants are designed to thrive in the frigid months– not to mention how gorgeous they look dusted in snow either. They’re the kind of plants that make you excited to head out into your garden when it’s 15 degrees outside. So, let’s go over a few of these winter options you can plant in your garden this season.

Sweeten things up with berries

Winter gardening with berries not only adds pops of color to your plants, but the dark purple and red colors of berries also provide a lovely contrast against the white snow. Plus, they’re also a vital food source for birds. Meaning, you can see your pretty feathered friends all year round!

One of the most popular types of berries during the wintertime is Holly, and, Winterberry is arguably the most beautiful type of Holly.

Winterberry

What makes Winterberry unique from other berries is that it loses its leaves in the autumn and reveals bright, cherry-red berries. Also, it’s very weather-tolerant and easy to care for, which makes it a must-add to your winter gardening list.

Add some warmth with fiery dogwoods

There’s nothing more heartwarming on a bleak, January day than a line of fiery, colorful stems of gold, orange, yellow, red, and purple. These Dogwood stems make some of the best winter garden plants because of the intense colors they produce to lift our spirits during the dreary season.

If you plan on adding some Dogwoods to your garden, make sure to plant them in a sunny spot where they’ll thrive the most.

Spread the cheer with winter flowering bulbs

Winter flowering bulbs are truly what make a garden beautiful. So, make sure to incorporate some Tulip bulbs or Lily bulbs into your winter gardening this season. It’s best to plant your bulbs at the beginning of the growing season to get bright and amazing colors from January all through spring.

Get in the holiday spirit with classic evergreens

There’s no doubt that the evergreen sets the foundation for a winter landscape design. A line of carefully planted evergreens form the backbone of your spread by portraying a consistency of texture and structure. They can be used to cleverly create a border around your garden. Moreover, their vivid green color does a fantastic job of standing out from the white snow.

Shrubs

In the evergreen family are shrubs, which provide wonderful fragrances all season long. Thus, a good winter garden tip is to take advantage of the scents that shrubs give off by planting them in fragrance categories. That way, their scents won’t seem confusing and all over the place.

For example, plant all of your lavender-scented shrubs in a cluster together. Then, plant your ivy shrubs together at least a few feet away from the lavender.

How to take care of your winter garden structure

Aside from creating a stunning view and keeping your winter blues at bay, winter gardening has another perk too: It’s super easy to take care of! The main two pieces of advice are to be careful with your watering habits and avoid fertilizer.

Avoid going overboard with watering

An important garden tip for winter is to only water your plants when the first inch of soil is dry. Your plants don’t need as much water during this growing season, and thus, your soil doesn’t need to be kept moist.

To check if your soil is dry, you can check with your finger by dipping it into the soil and seeing if it remains dry up to your first knuckle.

Don’t fertilize unless it’s absolutely necessary

A second critical tip in our winter gardening guide is to avoid fertilizing at all costs. Plants don’t absorb as many nutrients in the colder months of the year. So, it’s very likely that fertilizing would do your garden more harm than good during this time. This is especially true if you reworked the soil and added compost and organic matter to your garden before you began planting.

Tis’ the season for winter gardening

Now that you know the amazing benefits a winter garden can bring you this season, what’s stopping you from creating your perfect winter wonderland in your own backyard? It’s time to dig up the old green thumb and get outdoors so you can make a garden that’ll lift your spirits this holiday season.