Photo: sarako / Flickr

Even though most flowers won’t bloom during the cold winter months, this doesn’t mean that your garden has to be neglected until it gets warmer. While there are some plants that don’t do well in winter, there is still gardening to be done – this is a good time of year to start a vegetable garden or build a greenhouse.

Don’t stop growing

Most flowers don’t bloom during winter, so to add colour and detail to your garden, your best bet would be planting trees and shrubs. Fern bushes also manage to grow well despite the cold weather, and produce beautiful red berries in the winter, while at the same time adding a significant amount of green to your garden. There are a variety of evergreen trees and ferns to choose from, so your garden still looks alive that come winter.

Growing a vegetable garden is a great way to make use of your garden while flowers aren’t blooming. While some vegetables won’t grow in winter, there are some vegetables that thrive in the cold. Vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, peas, asparagus and kale are well suited to winter growth, while various salad greens can also be grown. Remember to add a short wall around your vegetable garden to shelter the plants from the wind.

Greenhouse

With a greenhouse you can plant seedlings that you plan to grow in the upcoming spring. Greenhouses come in any size and don’t have to be too big to do the job well. Many can be self-assembled, too, meaning you save money.

Finally, prepare your garden for spring. Make sure you have your seedlings in time for planting as the season changes, and store them in the garden shed or your greenhouse in the meantime, along with your other garden tools.

Spend the winter months ordering enough gardening magazines and tools to prepare you for some serious gardening come springtime.

Tags: gardening, Greenhouse, vegetable garden