Winter in Your Native Plant Landscape
Winter is a great time to step into your native plant landscape and embrace its quiet beauty. It’s the season for making observations, reflecting on what worked well last season. Take stock of sparse areas in your garden(s), think about where native grasses or forbs might boost biodiversity, and plan for a vibrant growing season ahead!
Proper winterization of your native garden and managed natural areas on the landscape, as well as incorporating snow seeding, can work to improve water quality by reducing runoff and filtering pollutants. Here’s how these practices help:
Increased Soil Infiltration
Winterizing: Native plants with deep roots create channels in the soil that enhance its ability to absorb water. By leaving plant stems intact over winter, you maintain the root systems that help prevent soil compaction and improve infiltration, reducing runoff during snowmelt.
Snow Seeding: As seeds sown on snow settle into the soil during melt cycles, they contribute to the growth of native plants, further stabilizing the soil and increasing its infiltration capacity.
Runoff Reduction: Winterized gardens retain plant debris, such as stems and leaves, which act as a natural barrier, slowing down water flow and reducing the volume of runoff. Slower runoff minimizes the transport of sediment and pollutants, protecting nearby water bodies.
Pollutant Filtration: Native plants act as natural filters, capturing and breaking down pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus before they enter streams and rivers. By maintaining vegetation over the winter and establishing new growth through snow seeding, you ensure continuous filtration even during early spring thaw.
Erosion Control: Bare soil is prone to erosion, especially during freeze-thaw cycles. Winterizing native gardens keeps the soil covered, while snow seeding ensures a dense vegetative cover in the growing season, protecting streambanks and landscapes from eroding into waterways.
Biodiversity Support: Native plants encourage diverse ecosystems, including beneficial microbes and insects that contribute to soil health. Healthier soil improves its water-holding capacity and nutrient retention, reducing the risk of pollutants washing away into local streams and rivers.
Winterizing Your Gardens
As January turns to February, it’s time to cut back some of last year’s growth. Leave some plant stems fully intact to support native bees and beneficial insects that overwinter and lay eggs in them. For stems you do cut, leave 6–12 inches standing so insects can emerge in spring. If leaving stems isn’t an option, bundle the cut pieces and place them in a corner of your yard, where insects can hatch safely. Watching for tiny holes in these stems later in the year is a fascinating reminder of the life you’re supporting.
Winter also makes invasive plant management easier, as many noxious weeds green up before native plants. This season gives you better access to remove them before they can compete with your garden. Through early spring, identify green—plants that are emerging out of season. This is usually a good indication of a non-native species.
Snow Seeding Supports Native Plant Landscapes
One fun and practical winter activity is snow seeding. Seeding native plants in the winter by scattering seeds onto snow is a simple and effective way to enhance your native plant landscape. Scattering seeds onto snow allows you to see where you’ve sown, and as the snow melts, it pulls the seeds into the soil at the perfect depth for germination. Many native seeds also require exposure to cold and freeze-thaw cycles to break dormancy, making winter the ideal time to sow. It’s an enjoyable way for all ages to stay connected with their gardens during the quieter months of the year.
Why Snow Seeding Works:
● Natural Stratification: Many native plant seeds need a cold period to break dormancy and germinate. By sowing them in the winter, you’re giving them the cold treatment they need to sprout in the spring
● Easy Visibility: The contrast of seeds against white snow makes it easy to see where you’ve spread them, ensuring even coverage across your planting area.
● Perfect Placement: As the snow melts, it draws the seeds into the soil, positioning them at just the right depth for germination. It’s like letting nature do the work for you!
Keep your native seeds handy and be ready to head outside when the big snows arrive.
By getting outside and tending to your native landscape in winter, you’re not just maintaining it—you’re setting the stage for a healthy, thriving ecosystem when spring arrives. The quiet beauty of winter offers the perfect opportunity to reflect, refresh, and prepare your native plant landscape for the year to come. With no ticks or chiggers to worry about, you may even find yourself missing the serenity of the winter come June and July.
Have Questions about winterizing your landscapes? Reach out to the author by email:
Taylor Hills, IRWP Horticulturist taylor@irwp.org
