Winter Gardening Ideas

You pride yourself on your gardening savvy all summer, but what about during the winter months? There are plenty of gardening projects you can do in the winter months that will help give you a beautiful lawn and garden come spring, as well as beautiful indoor plants right now.

Head to your local True Value hardware store for the tools and expert advice you need to get your gardening projects started. Read through the project idea below and get your green thumb going.

Outdoor Gardening Projects
Indoor Gardening Projects

Outdoor Gardening Projects

Step 1. Lawn Care
Avoid heavy traffic on the dormant lawn. Dry grass is easily broken and the crown of the plant may be severely damaged or killed.

Even after the grass is covered with snow, avoid excessive walking on your lawn. This way, you won't pack down the snow and cause snow mold later in the season.

Try not to use salt-based products on sidewalks and driveways. As snow and ice melt, the runoff can damage your lawn. Try sand or cat litter instead — both provide good traction on slick spots without harming lawn, ornamentals or concrete.

Step 2. Clear Snow and Ice from Trees and Shrubs
Brush snow from evergreens as soon as possible after a storm. Use a broom in an upward, sweeping motion. Don't shake the branches — this may cause them to break. If the snow is frozen on the branch and will not brush off easily, it is best to let it melt naturally to avoid damage to the tree or shrub.

If tree limbs break under the weight of ice or snow, it's best to have the broken limbs removed as soon as the weather permits. Hanging branches can be a danger to passing pedestrians. Also, the tree will be able to heal the wound better in spring if the wound has clean edges instead of ragged tears.

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Step 3. Winter Plant Protection
If you still have your cut Christmas tree around, don't throw it away. You can use the boughs off your tree to cover tender or early flowering plants. These cut boughs are natural coverings for plants during cold weather. After spring comes, you can recycle the evergreen boughs in the compost pile or shred them for mulch.

Step 4. Pruning
January is a great month to prune most deciduous trees and shrubs. Because they're dormant in winter, fruit, flowering and shade trees can be pruned now.

When pruning large limbs, always undercut first—cut from the bottom up, one-third of the way through the limb, then finish by cutting from the top. The undercut keeps the limb from splitting and breaking off, preventing damage to the trunk. Don't cut flush to the trunk. It's the collar or enlarged base of a branch that produces the hormones to help heal wounds, so it's important to keep the collar in tact.

Don't prune spring flowering plants, like quince, forsythia or Spirea. You could end up killing their spring flowers. Prune those plants later in the year after they're done flowering.

Step 5. Planting Trees and Shrubs
If you are thinking of adding any fruit, flowering or shade trees to your yard, this would be a good time to select and plant them. And because the trees are dormant, they transplant with a minimum amount of set-back.

The gardening expert at your local True Value can help you select which varieties are recommended for your area, so you get varieties that will produce the very best, quality fruit.

January is also a great month to select and plant roses. Likewise, evergreens and deciduous shrubs can easily be planted anytime the temperatures are above freezing.

Step 6. Check Your Garden
If the winter isn't too snowy, check plants like rhododendrons and other broadleaf evergreens for signs of dehydration. If temperatures are above freezing and these plants are dry, you should water them. Also, reapply an anti-desiccant to your evergreens to prevent excessive moisture loss. Do this on a day when the temperature is above 40ºF.

If temperatures stay above freezing for a few days, you may need to check on a couple of other things. If you covered your roses with rose cones, you may need to ventilate the cone to prevent heat from building up inside. The same should be done with coldframes. If it is a warm, sunny day, the temperatures may be rising in the cold frame more than you think. Just remember to close vents as the temperature drops again at night.

Look for weeds. You'll be amazed at how many of those stubborn plants have already flowered and are now going to seed. Get rid of weeds before the seeds scatter all over the garden. Many weeds are capable of producing thousands of seeds, even in the winter. Left unchecked, you'll be fighting those weeds for years to come.

Step 7. Equipment Repair
Does your mower need sharpening? Does the oil need changing? What about the filters? Is the engine running properly? If you need to have any of your garden equipment repaired, this is the time to do it. Taking your mower in for repairs now could save you time in the long run.

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Indoor Gardening Projects

Step 1. Houseplants
During the winter, most houses are too dry for houseplants. Increase humidity levels for your plants by placing them on trays lined with pebbles and filled with water within a half inch of the base of the pot.

Keep your holiday plants fresh and blooming by keeping them out of drafts and a few extra inches away from windowpanes. Even though most of your blooming holiday plants prefer to be in a cool room, they won't respond well to overly cold weather. Most holiday plants also need a bright room.

Turn and prune houseplants regularly to keep them shapely. Pinch back new growth to promote bushy plants.

Houseplants with large leaves and smooth foliage, such as philodendrons, dracaena and rubber plant will benefit from having their leaves washed to remove dust and grime. This will help keep the leaf pores open.

Step 2. Plan Seeds for Spring
Now is a good time to start thinking about what you want to plant come spring. A little planning now will help you get the seeds you want in time. You could even get them early enough to start them indoors if you want.

Congratulations! Even in the middle of winter, the gardening projects you just finished will help make your lawn and garden more beautiful come spring. For all of your gardening projects all year long, trust the experts at your local True Value hardware store to keep your lawn and garden healthy.

For more projects, go to TrueValue.com. >

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