Now that we’ve had a bout of real winter weather, we want our gardens to remain in a suspended state of dormancy for the rest of the season.

I won’t call it a permanent state of dormancy because experience in the Northwest garden has shown that dormancy in our part of the world is fickle, coming and going with the rise and fall of our temperate climate. We share this phenomenon with Britain and much of Western Europe, parts of the northwest and northeast of the United States, New Zealand, eastern Asia and southern Chile.

The hallmark of temperate zones is a relatively small fluctuation in temperature between seasons with rain that generally falls all year round. However, some temperate areas experience quite different types of weather depending on their position relative to the sea and winds. For example, although the northeast of North America is at the same latitude as western and northern Europe, it lacks the warming influence of the North Atlantic Drift ocean currents. Consequently, much of the north-eastern seaboard of the United States is ice-bound during winter months.

All this makes me happy we live where we do. Sure, the shorter days of winter mean less time in the day to spend outside. It is especially difficult when those days are colder and wetter than we might like. On these days, it takes longer to make myself get out in it and — once outside — sustain the effort to get any garden work done.

I know that once I get started, I can always find something to do. The range of plants we can grow is directly related to our generally mild conditions, and therefore there is a lot we can do outside in the winter garden.

Since we might have periods of warming in the temperate winter garden, a layer of mulch should be applied when the garden is in the midst of a cold spell. By adding mulch when the earth is chilled, we help plants remain in a state of dormancy for the duration of the winter.

One of the reasons we lose plants in winter is that they come out of dormancy too early and are subsequently killed by a late season frost. The best way to insulate plant roots from frost is to cover the soil with an overcoat of compost. Even so-called hardy plants, such as hardy fuchsias and roses, may not survive our cold, wet winters without an extra layer of protection over the crown of the plant.

Winter, by the way, is the easiest time of year to apply a layer of mulch. I am convinced that one of the reasons gardeners don’t mulch is because it’s so difficult to know how to lay a cover when the garden is filled with plants. In winter, much of the plant material has died down to the ground and if you are ahead of the game, spent plant material has also been cut back. When borders are clear of plants, it’s easier to spread on a layer of mulch.

An organic solution

The best mulch you can use is homemade compost. It’s inexpensive because it’s created from plant material collected over the past year from your own garden. Since you’ve collected it yourself you can be assured that the material used in the making of the compost is clear and free of disease.

Spread the compost two to four inches thick. At this time of year, it’s not necessary to dig it into the ground. Once it is in place, worms and other organisms in the soil will get to work recycling the organic matter and pulling it down to improve your soil.

Perennial plants with attractive seed heads or structural silhouettes, such as Rudbeckia or ornamental grasses, can be left to die down gracefully as part of the winter garden display.

Those that just look messy once top growth has died away should be cut back to soil level. Although many choose to save this job until spring, if you wait too long you risk damaging delicate, new emerging shoots.

Besides, we all know that there is enough to do in spring without adding in a job we could have taken care of in winter, a less hectic season of the year.

If you just can’t make yourself face the winter elements, take the time to browse mail order catalogs, order seeds and plants and continue with any design or re-design projects you have planned for next year’s garden.

Robb Rosser is a WSU-certified Master Gardener. Reach him at Write2Robb@aol.com.

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