Rest, Repose, Replenish in Winter

Wintertime has it's own beauty and purpose in the garden. The leaves have fallen. The rains have arrived. The temperature has dropped. The days are shorter. Mother nature is preparing for a deep rest and dormancy in the garden. Our gardens shut down to replenish themselves for that dramatic burst of energy, we call Spring and the continuing year ahead.

As gardeners, it is a great time of the year to see our gardens in a new perspective. With leaves fallen, blooms cut, plants trimmed back, we can easily see the architectural structure and "bones" of our gardens. In places where there is snow, and ice, a painting of wintry landscape emerges. There is something very ethereal about the garden at this time. Just like the other seasons, Winter has it's own beauty and mood.

Take the time to observe your garden carefully. It is a time to be especially grateful for your garden, what the garden gives back to you and your spirit. Be grateful of your garden's bounty throughout the year. Is it pretty fresh cut flowers every week for your home. Incredibly tasty fresh fruit and vegetables to cook and bake with for your family and friends. The kinship of garden friends that share your same passion. The connection with Mother Earth.

It is the time to contemplate your garden. A time to make any changes if needed. What you like about it. What you don't. What is not doing well in a location. What needs to be added. What would you like to do, if you had no constraints.

It is a planning time. It is a time to catch your breath after the holidays, before we are once again busy in the garden and mother nature wakes up from her brief repose. Take time for yourself, and read your new garden books from the holidays. Find your magazine articles you have clipped out and saved, but haven't had a chance to read. Make a pot of tea, sit by the fire, and pour over your new seed catalogs that have wonderful new selections of vegetables to be grown. Create a "To Do List" which might include checking and sharpening your garden tools, or what might need to be purchased to be ready for Spring. Perhaps, it is a time to reflect, study and plan the new direction you might want to take your garden.

Embrace your garden in the Winter, it is a time of beauty and peace.