Time to Plan

[missmanors]

With the coming of the winter's colder months, comes time for us to sit back, relax and plan for the coming spring. Too often we're busy with our lives doing all that needs done in the spring and summer, without giving ourselves time to really look at our gardens and yards.

Winter weather forces us to slow down a bit, so why not take the time this winter to plan for our future outside spaces? Before the snow takes over our gardens and yards, we should take a careful look at what we now have, and decide if it's working for us, or what we could improve upon this coming spring.

The space must satisfy your needs, so decide what those needs are.

Do you have children who need room to play? Is space set aside for them? Is the grass soft and lush, as welcoming to a barefoot game of badminton as a hunt for four-leaf clovers? Or is the garden rigid and formal, a place off-limits to little people?

Is the garden full of the cascading blossoms you so admire in magazines and catalogs? Does it make you want to stay and sit? Do you enjoy catching glimpses of it from your window? Or is it so close to your house that you cannot see it from inside?

Is the garden a peaceful sanctuary, one where you can sip your morning coffee over a copy of your morning newspaper? Does it have a pleasant seating area allowing visitors to stop and take in their surroundings for a bit? Is it a place where you can end your day and unwind while listening to the crickets?

Is it filled with the things you love? Does it welcome the birds and squirrels? Is it teeming with animal life as well as plant life? Is it filled with statuary if art is your passion?

Is it as low-maintenance as you wish? Or is it filled with plants that need constant care and attention?

A thousand people will have a thousand dreams for their yard. Winter gives the chance to come up with a plan.