Central Plains December Garden Checklist: Winter Interest and Planning

Missing the garden? Anticipation is key—winter is for planning spring and summer moves.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Looking at "barren" landscapes wishing for more? "Winter interest" matters with four solid seasons. Plan structural variety so next winter's snow creates magic for you and wildlife.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Maybe a conifer for winter green—even one adaptable Thuja (Arborvitae) works. Leave dead-stemmed perennials standing: unmatched winter interest, wildlife cover, snow-catching root insulation. Right sunlight reveals orange, rust, magenta, tan sparks in winter-left gardens.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Last year a sharp-shinned hawk visited my winter garden hunting songbirds sheltering in winter interest plantings. Life thrives when you provide habitat.

Exteriorscapes llc

Outdoor Work on Mild Days

Good coat + mild day = opportunity. Hardscape and infrastructure chores get blood flowing. Why not add a raised bed in December? Almost any material works (avoid treated wood—chemicals leach, poison plants). Raised beds: optimal veggies, dryness-loving plants, architectural/winter interest.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

A simple rain chain catches crisp sunlight like a diamond. Maybe a better sweetheart gift? Create beauty with roof runoff.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Discover the Winter Garden

Get outside—cold doesn't mean no discoveries. Know your garden in the ignored season. Spent seed heads feel visceral; grasses orchestral. Find the world in smallest pleasures. Be surprised.

Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Walk and plan additions/subtractions through the bones: where to add thickness, what's weak. Sketch. Photograph for indoor cocoa-time review. Upload to photo editor, draw circles, erase beds, insert inspiration. Best time to fall in love with gardening anew.