The Enabled Gardener: Winter Rest

was to be printed in Pond & Garden Nov/Dec 2001
By Josh Spece

This time of year is depressing for gardeners of any style. The crispness in the air is a telltale sign that Old Man Winter is lurking just around the corner. Soon, the garden we carefully tended all summer will be dressed in fall colors and covered with a blanket of snow. Northern gardens may have already had a dusting of white mulch. Ponders, especially, have it rough. Water gardens always look their best just before it turns cold.

Just as our gardens need a rest by fall, so do the gardeners. We all hate to see our lush garden turn to shades of brown, but I think a lot of gardeners would burn out if their garden demanded their attention year round. Think of winter as a time to do all those other things in life...like spend quality time with non-gardening friends and family members!

Winter gives us time to reflect back on our garden. Get out all those photos you took and decide what you liked, what you didn’t like, and what new things you would like to try next season. Gardening magazines are full of great ideas. Why not collect all the articles and pictures of the projects you’d like to tackle into a single place for easy retrieval when the time comes?

Collecting mail order catalogs is a favorite winter pastime. It’s great fun to drool over all the new plants. Winter is the time to make a list of what you’d like to order and make sure it stays on budget...or at least not too far off! Be sure to place your orders early so you are sure to get the plants you want.

We all hate to see our garden and pond go to sleep for the winter, but there are many things to do on our time off. Lots of planning to do for the coming season, plants to order, and friendships to catch-up on. When the warm sunshine of spring returns, both garden and gardener will be brimming with renewed vigor.