Winter

  • Leave plants intact as seed heads and dead stems can provide food for birds and overwinter habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects.
  • Enjoy the winter interest in the garden provided by frost and snow accentuating the structural elements of your winter garden and highlighting an eye-catching contrast. Natives such as American holly, winterberry, and red-twig dogwood offer winter interest through the contrast of colorful foliage and berries.
  • Prune trees and shrubs as needed to remove dead or diseased wood. Research the specific pruning requirements of the trees and shrubs in your garden.
  • Sow seeds of native plants. Many seeds need a period of cold to germinate, so winter is a great time to get started. 
  • Let it lie. Fallen wood, leaves and twigs can support a host of native insects, reptiles and amphibians. Leaving fallen limbs, leaves and twigs undisturbed can maintain the hibernating benefits the “natural” debris provides.
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