Unlike me, you probably have completed your holiday shopping, wrapped the presents, and mailed your Christmas cards. No doubt you have decorated the tree and house, and can sit back and enjoy the seasonal ambiance with a cup of hot cocoa. I envy you, but that isn’t the point of this column.
No, I am suggesting that since you have completed your holiday preparations, now is a good time to think about making some garden design changes for spring, or even plan an entire new bed or garden.
In winter, you can see the bones of your garden: the hardscape, the leafless deciduous shrubs, and the stalks of dormant perennials. If you kept notes or a gardening journal, you have a good idea of which plants performed well in their current locations, which ones need to be moved, and which plants failed completely.
If you decide to add a bed or border or even create a new garden, some basic planning is required. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a professional horticulturalist or landscape archit...