You might not think there is much to be done in the garden now with the arrival of winter and in truth, here in the Alps there isn’t. Once the snow has fallen and the ground is frozen you can only enjoy the snow in a garden until the spring thaw allows you to get back outside.
If like me you were a little lazy and didn’t finish your autumn pruning then leave it until early spring where you can cut back shrubs lightly before they start to grow again with the warmth of the spring sunshine.
Keep an eye on shrubs and trees in the garden after heavy snowfall as it can cause the branches to bend and possibly break with the weight of the snow, especially if it freezes or is very heavy snow. Go out and knock the snow of the branches gently to remove it before it builds up too much.
Don’t forget to put food out for the birds at this time of year. If you usually get small birds into your garden then you can continue to attract them all winter long with some bird feeders hung in the garden. You can buy suitable bird food from the garden centers, supermarkets and bricolage stores. Hung close to trees, so the birds have some cover to fly into it is a good spot or close to the house so you can enjoy watching them come to feed.
The Alpine Gardener 