What a difference a year makes! Last year, snow was found everywhere. Except in south central Wisconsin. Mother Nature has been more generous, but I sure wish that it would stay put! Our plants would certainly appreciate the extra snowy blanket. So far, the 2025-26 winter has been fairly uneventful. Hopefully Mother Nature will provide a couple of chances to get out and do a little pruning and clean-up before the end of the month. It’s just over 2 weeks to Groundhog’s Day and that’s when I notice that the days are lengthening faster, with 2 or 3 minutes of light added every 24 hours. That may not sound like much, but that’s almost an extra hour by the end of the month.

For the second year in a row, we heard reports about one of the weirder botanical events – the early appearance of blossoms on normally early-spring blooming shrubs, most notably on lilacs, azaleas and magnolias. The late autumn temperature swings can trigger a temporary end to dormancy. If you’re concerned that flowering for the coming spring will be affected, it may be, but try not to stress. In the long run, your trees and shrubs will be just fine and that’s what is really important.

If you’re looking for a fun and satisfying activity, consider hanging a bird feeder or two. And if you site the feeders near a window, you can watch their comings and goings. Even better, pick up a small platform feeder that attaches to your window. You, and any house cats, will be entertained for hours! If you have feeders and didn’t clean them before winter set in, it wouldn’t hurt to bring them inside and wash with warm, sudsy water. Let them dry thoroughly and refill. You should be good until spring.

The Garden Center is getting stocked with garden seeds for 2026. If you’re chomping at the bit to get started, it’s time to start sowing annuals that require a long germination period. Way too early to start any veggies or herbs yet, but it’s an awesome time to begin prepping equipment. Make sure that you have plenty of soil-less potting mix meant for seed starting! This will help to prevent the terror of all seed starting gardeners everywhere, the dreaded damping-off disease. And don’t forget that bright, and consistent, lighting is the key to success. Consider using the new LED grow lights to make your life easier and your seedlings healthier. The Garden Center has lots of options and we’d be delighted to help you navigate the choices.

You can also start seeds for perennials like delphiniums and columbine. Sown now, they will more than likely bloom for you this first year. And take good care of any cuttings that you started last fall. Pinch them back to create stockier plants and check regularly for pest and disease problems. Again, grow lights will help produce more successful cuttings by keeping them vigorous.

Start planning your annual patio containers. Try to remember what worked last summer and what didn’t. Consider using some vegetable or herb plants in combination with your foliage and flowers. We’re calling these plants edimentals.  It’s more fun than relying solely on flowering plants and many of these plants are decorative, as well as tasty. We also like combining succulents combined with grasses. Their diverse forms and colors, combined with hardiness, drought tolerance and ease of care are all compelling reasons to give them a try. You can easily winter succulents indoors if you wish or plant the hardy varieties in the garden at the end of summer.

Even if seeds are not your thing, and you purchase baby plants instead of starting them yourself, it’s not too early to begin planning for the spring. Any of those beautiful gardening magazines or seed catalogs will inspire you. Get a bit of relief from your spring fever at the Wisconsin Garden & Green Living Expo held at the Alliant Energy Center February 13th thru the 15th. It will be all hands on deck at the Bruce Company booth. Everything you ever wanted to know about indoor and outdoor gardening is available there, and you know how gardeners love to talk! Free seminars are presented every day. There are lots of workshops and demonstrations, too. It’s great to realize that we live in such a vibrant gardening community. Discounted advance tickets are now available at the Garden Center, cash or checks only. Stop by the Plant Information Desk if you’re interested.