It can even snow in parts of Southern California, but there are still plenty of gardening chores to do!

Before, during and after the winter holidays, we’re likely to have a lot of built up stress and anxiety. Gardening is the perfect way to exercise and relax in the garden to reduce that holiday stress. This is also a good time to think about the changes you might want to make in the coming year. So here are some suggestions on gardening in the Southern California area and other similar climates.

• Enjoy winter’s cold, rainy or windy days by flipping through catalogs for gifts, tools, seeds plants or other fun gardening purchases.
• Check out pictures of other Southern California gardens to get new ideas for changes in your own
• Net ponds to keep out blowing leaves. You may want to turn off your pump for the winter and save on electricity. Do not feed fish. They will be hanging out at the bottom in a semi-dormant state.
• Start cutting back woody plants and trees. This is a good time for pruning.
• Look for onion and garlic sets, strawberry, rhubarb and asparagus roots and winter bulbs to plant now.
• Avoid working soil right after rain as it will compress valuable air out of the wet soil.
• Add compost and other top-dressings as mulch to retain soil moisture and keep roots warm.
• Do NOT water plants if they are covered with snow or frost. Frozen plant cells can burst if thawed too fast and water can freeze into an icy shell if temperatures are still below freezing.
• You can leave frost-bitten plant tops in place to protect more delicate growth below on perennial plants.
• Set up rain barrels or other water collection tubs to reuse rainwater in the winter garden during dry periods.
• Cut back on lawn watering. You can even let your lawn go dormant for the winter and save on maintenance and water use. Or better, replace some of your lawn with decorative drought-resistant gardens, California native plants or grow useful plants like edibles.
• Now is the perfect time to sketch out plans for re-designing your garden so you can get the most beautiful landscape possible to fit with your lifestyle and budget. Calling in a knowledgeable landscape designer will not be cheap, but will likely save you a lot of money in the long run by avoiding mistakes. You can get a designer to do designs for you, give you suggestions or simply to help guide you with your own designing.
• Enjoy the holidays and remember to use your Southern California garden in December.

Take the time to follow some of these winter holiday gardening tips and not only can you enjoy the winter gardening season here in Southern California, but you can prepare your landscape for the best show ever come the springtime.

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