Let's face it winter can just be depressing. Even with our relatively mild Georgia winters, we still have freezes that zap plants to the ground and into "sleep". Sometimes I too just want to get away from it all and sleep until late Feb. But on these 60 degree sunny spring-like days, something stirs inside me and I yearn to be outside working.
This is the time of year you can focus on tidying up your landscape. Growth has ceased, the soils are cold, and you can really focus on edging and cleaning out beds. Winter is a superb time for this because it exposes the underlying architecture of the landscape unobscured by all that summer growth.
Of course, fall is the prime season for raking leaves, but if you have trees, or your neighbors have trees, you are certain to have small branches, and old leaves blow in. I'm always amazed at how much organic matter accumulates in the landscape, and this is good stuff! I like to scatter the little bits in my flower beds.
I remember both my grandmothers were constantly raking leaves and "cleaning" their yards. This constant care and respect was so obvious to me as a child growing up in the 80s and 90s. People of a certain generation, typically pre-baby boomers, just seemed to be more at ease outside and took such joy in making things look nice.
Yet in present times I rarely see that kind of care and attention devoted to one's landscape. I realize now we are living in different times. Most people nowadays simply outsource their lawn care to the proverbial "mow and blow" guys. The leaf blowers certainly strip the lawn of debris, but they are so obnoxious and noisy! While they can be effective tools to save time, I get that, but as with any technological advancement, there is a cost. And the loss of raking in our culture takes away yet another physical activity and further distances ourselves from bonding with our landscape. Simply put, the more we are outside, the more attachment we feel to nature.
For me raking, as much as it is physical, is also meditative and can help me feel connected to the present moment. Our species evolved to be physically active, to generate a sweat. Isn't it better to get our aerobic activity accomplishing real work rather than all that wasted energy on the treadmill? (This is coming from someone who also likes getting cardio at the gym).
And there is a great sense of accomplishment! After I make my neat little piles of leaves and twigs and put them in the wheelbarrow, the landscape begins to look more inhabited, like someone really cares. Whether it be raking, weeding, digging, or any other hands-on activity, I hope you can find enjoyment working outside. Spending time in your outdoor space is like bonding with a pet or a friend. Enjoy this quiet time outside before the mad exuberance of spring.