Hyacinths are blooming in the sun room.

Winter-time and what’s a gardener to do?

Well, there’s a lot a gardener can do, as it turns out.

Here are five things your garden wants you to do this winter.

Visit it.  Yes, go out into the garden, even if it is under snow, and see what’s going on.  Take some paper and a pencil with you and make some notes. What needs to be cut back? Where are the winter weeds taking hold?  Are there broken branches you should at least cut back enough so they don’t cause more damage?

Get estimates.  If there are big changes to make in the garden or the garden just seems to need more than you are able to give it, call now for estimates and to get on someone’s schedule so when spring arrives, and you know it will, you’ll be first on their list.

Order seeds.  Depending on where you live, you may be just a few weeks away from starting seeds indoors for some types of vegetables, especially tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.  I won’t start any seeds here until early-mid March but I should be ordering seeds now.

Check your houseplants.  Look over your houseplants to make sure no little critters, like red spider mites, mealybugs, or fruit flies, have taken up residence. They can hitchhike in on new plants you may have purchased on a whim during the dark days of winter.  Trim up the houseplants a bit if the look scraggly and make sure they are getting adequate water and light.  Around the time you start seeds indoors, give the houseplants a nice dose of fertilizer to prepare them for spring.

Go to a garden show.  Every city of any size has some kind of flower or garden show in the wintertime or early spring. Go to it, even if you think it doesn’t change from year to year. You’ll enjoy the scents of flowers and dirt, you’ll like seeing blooms and green leaves.  You will leave with a longing for spring, and that’s always good for your garden.

And a bonus sixth thing you can do for your garden. Read. Read good gardening books and good articles about gardening.  Search the web for a new idea of two and then commit to trying it in your garden this spring.

Your garden will thank you for doing these things and when you’ve done these things, you’ll be ready for your garden on the first spring-like day of late winter!

Oh, and one more thing you could do. Feed the birds. Yes, a squirrel or two might also visit your feeder but the birds will appreciate having another source of food on those colder than cold winter days. And just watch, you’ll be surprised at the variety of birds who will visit your feeder.