The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting chillier, and the outdoors is looking a little less inviting than it did just a few short weeks ago. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be much of an incentive to be out there surveying your landscape right about now.

There might be a temptation to just forget about your piece of planet Earth and all the trees and shrubs that are living on it. But this can be a very satisfying time to enjoy your yard and garden from the comfort of your armchair in front of your crackling log fire, or sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of something warm!

As winter sets in, this is the perfect time to be planning for the spring. Sit back and let your imagination have free rein. Think of everything you’d like to see flourishing out there in a few months time… The sprightly young tree saplings, the bright green leaves on your new shrubs, the bees humming around the latest additions to your landscape.

But at this stage it’s no more than a pleasant dream. It becomes a “plan” when you write it down and begin to take action on those thoughts.

Find a pencil and some paper… preferably grid paper… and roughly sketch out the shape of your land, or at least the part you’re thinking of working on. Add in the shape of any structures (your house, a barn, a shed) that are part of the landscape. Are there any large trees out there? Sketch a circle to approximate each tree’s canopy and its location. At this stage, your layout doesn’t have to be strictly accurate; you can refine it later. Then draw a little arrow pointing to the north.

One important issue is to determine those areas of your land that are exposed to long periods of sunlight and those that are likely to be in shade for large parts of the day. Of course, the amount of sun and shade will vary with the seasons, but this moment of forethought will pay off when you get to planting later! You might want to use your pencil to (literally) shade in areas on your plan that will be largely shaded from sunlight, either by buildings or by large trees.

Now comes the part that’s really fun!

If you’re like me and like most enthusiasts of landscaping and garden design, you probably receive dozens of mail order catalogs and you have numerous online nurseries “bookmarked” or in your “favorites” on your computer. Sit back with your catalogs and start circling everything you think you might like to see out there next year. Go wild! Dog-ear the catalog pages. Mark pages with little sticky notes. Don’t try to be cautious at this stage.

The same is true when you browse the offerings of online nurseries. In fact it’s even easier online. Just click “Add to Cart” whenever you see something that appeals to you. Remember that you haven’t actually committed yourself to buying anything when you add an item to your cart; as in the supermarket you can simply put it back on the shelf (by clicking remove) when you finally get around to reviewing all the goodies you’ve selected.

Now it’s time to “weed out” your selections. One logical way to do this is to say to yourself, “If I could only have ONE, it would be…..” So that one is a keeper. Then do the same thing again, picking out the next must-have. You can work in reverse, too, eliminating the one item you could most easily live without. Before long, you’ll have a shorter, more manageable list to work with.

A word of advice: Except for a “special” purchase, such as a particular ornamental tree, it is not a good idea to purchase a large number of varieties with a small number of actual plants within each variety. Rather, I suggest you pick a smaller number of varieties, say five to seven, and increase the actual number of plants in each variety. This gives a more cohesive and satisfying appearance to your plantings. You might select ten

to twenty plants in each variety; or perhaps a hundred or more if your landscape is more generously sized.

Plan, too, for the different seasons. Select some plants that will be at their best early in the year and others that will be in full bloom later on.

Dreaming, and turning dreams into plans, and then plans into reality can be a thoroughly satisfying endeavor for anyone who loves to Garden!

Question: Jimmie, Do you have any advice for growing the Oregon grape or Leatherleaf Mahonia? Our garden guide says that it is a great plant and easy to grow, but the ones we have just seem to shrink, and the leaves get all discolored. Our creeping Mahonia does somewhat better, but it still gets the muddy-looking leaves. This year it is finally getting flowers, so maybe we have a breakthrough. It will be great if it ever gets those purple berries. Thank you for your assistance, and I enjoy your articles.

Brenda P. in Prosper

Answer: Hi Brenda, Yes I am familiar with both varieties. The Oregon Grape one is a dwarf variety used as a second-tier type planting while the Leatherleaf one is much taller and generally used as a backdrop to something smaller in height. Both are aesthetically pleasing, low-maintenance, and pretty hearty. They like shade to partial shade light conditions. They are usually easy to grow. However they do need some sun and should get good supplemental water. Aside from that you may want to fertilize with a 6-12-12 fertilize. High nitrogen content but will help build the root system.

Until next time…Happy Gardening!!

Jimmie

Send your landscaping and gardening questions to Jimmie Gibson Jr. at jimmie@absolutelybushed.comor in care of the Prosper Press at rhays@prosperpressnews.com Jimmie is the owner of Absolutely Bushed Landscaping Company. He is a resident in Prosper. His landscaping and gardening column runs every other week in the Prosper Press.