Winter Dreams and the Promise of Spring

It’s almost mid-January and for gardeners winter can feel long and heavy. The days are short, the ground is frozen, and our gardens lie quiet beneath snow and frost. Yet, it’s precisely this waiting—this trudging through winter that makes spring so deeply exciting.

There comes a moment in early March when something shifts. You step outside and notice the air feels different—lighter, moister, carrying the faint scent of earth awakening. The birds begin their morning chorus, tentative at first, then growing stronger. In that moment, I always think: in a few weeks the gardens will begin emerging! Suddenly, all the plans to prepare for the growing season feel very real and very urgent. The seed packets are in: zinnias, cosmos, baby blue eyes and other annuals will be tucked into little peat pots in February and placed on heat mats beneath grow lights.

These small beginnings feel hopeful—a quiet promise of color, movement, and life to come. Winter is the season for reflection. It is the time to step back and look at our properties and gardens with fresh eyes--making lists and asking ourselves how we want to level up this year. We pull out gardening books and magazines, searching for inspiration, and beginning to imagine what could be different or better in the months ahead.

For many of us, that reflection now includes a deeper awareness of the world beyond our fences. Decline in songbird populations are devastating, as are the massive losses of beneficial insects. These creatures are essential—not only for the beauty and vitality of our gardens, but for the health of our food systems. Our grains, fruits, and vegetables rely on pollinators and healthy ecosystems to thrive. The good news is that our gardens can make a difference! By choosing plants that support pollinators and provide food and shelter for birds, we turn our landscapes into small and meaningful refuges.