Instead of marking a beginning in the garden, January is peak dormant season. Roots, buds, plant crowns at and under the soil surface, overwintering insects in soil and stems, and hibernating animals await seasonal cues that are months away. Winter birds and animals feed and shelter to survive harsh winter conditions. If present, a thick layer of snow insulates and provides protection. It recharges soil moisture as it accumulates and melts gradually.

Indoors, the new year brings planning for new native plant gardens or enlarging and enhancing existing ones. The Friends of the Arboretum (FOA) online Native Plant Sale is open January 1 through March 31, 2026, offering varied garden kits, single species half and full flats, and woody species. Plants ordered during this sale will be available for pickup at the Arboretum in May.

Key steps in garden planning are evaluating site characteristics, determining site preparation, selecting plants, and looking ahead to planting and long-term management. Ideally, native plant gardens harbor diverse plants that grow together in native plant communities, and they also foster wildlife that depends on those plants. We can base plant selection for each unique site on these ecological relationships. We learn from trying plantings and observing results closely. If plants aren’t thriving where we thought they would, we can re-evaluate and move them to a more suitable spot.

If you are starting a new garden area, is it sunny for more than 6 hours a day? (Try prairie or savanna plants.) Does it have dappled shade from one tree or widely spaced trees? (Try savanna plants.) Or is it deeply shaded by many trees or by trees growing south of the area and casting deep shade? (Introduce woodland plants, and add savanna plants in any brighter areas.) Many species can grow well under a range of light conditions – for example, partial sun to shade. These species are recommended for intermediate or uncertain conditions.

Each FOA garden kit provides a set of plants that grow well together and offer food and shelter for wildlife, including supporting special relationships with beneficial insects. Different kits (available as half-flats with 16 plants or full flats with 32 plants) can be paired. For example, for a garden with large trees, the Woodland Spring Flowers Garden Kit and the Shade Pollinator Garden Kit complement each other, providing more diversity and flowering throughout a longer season. The Endangered Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee Garden Kit complements both of those kits for partial shade but includes species like leadplant (Amorpha canescens) and showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) that will thrive in sunnier spots.

How many plants to order? For a new bed, calculate the square footage of the garden bed and purchase that number of plants, then plant the plugs about one foot apart. This spacing will fill in well even during the first season. If the bed or border is long and narrow, you may order fewer plants because you might not place plants right at the edge, for example, along a path or sidewalk. For an existing bed, interplant into open spaces. Or expand the garden by removing a strip of lawn at the edge of the bed. This method allows for new small plants to grow up together instead of being shaded by established plants. Once established, many of the plants in the kits will seed readily or spread by rhizome or runners, providing more plants and fewer spaces for weeds.

Feel free to send a gardening question as your winter planning continues.

Happy (native plant gardening) New Year!

– Susan Carpenter, native plant garden curator