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Winter wellbeing calendar

31 suggestions to keep you happily gardening all through winter, and beyond. Dip in and out, pick what you feel like on the day, or follow the suggestions through the month if you need a focus

Winter can be beautiful, but can also be a difficult season for many people. Long, dark evenings and cold, wet days can make everything seem harder, but gardening, and being immersed in nature, improves your general health and wellbeing. You may even make some new friends along the way.

We’ve created a month’s worth of achievable tasks to help guide you through winter with positivity and purpose:

1 Step outside 

Spend time outside immersed in nature with friends and family
Try to spend at least 20 minutes outside every day – either walking to work, stepping out of the office at lunchtime, having a coffee on the balcony or walking through a garden in the morning or after work in the evening. This could be your own garden, or one of many beautiful parks or community spaces.  

Surveys show that people who spend regular time outside are more productive, happier and healthier than those who do not, and that the time gives them a boost that lasts through the day.
 
This precious time might inspire you – seeing plants or combinations you want to grow - or it might give you time to stop overthinking, to be mindful, quiet and give yourself space to breathe. 

2 Green up your home  

How much greenery you add to your life is up to you!
Having the colour green in our homes has been shown to make us happier. This could be by creating floral arrangements, decorating our homes for festivities, curating a display of natural items such as pine cones or shells, pressing flowers or introducing nature-themed artwork.  

Houseplants are of course the best way to add some greenery into your homes and there are so many benefits to having green all around you; improving mood, alleviating anxiety and reducing stress among them. 

3 Go on a seasonal shopping spree

A little retail therapy could be just what you need
Take a seasonal shopping trip to your local garden centre, plant nursery or RHS Garden Centre. There is so much inspiration on offer all year round. So even if you can’t get out into the garden, or just don’t feel like it, browsing seed shelves, garden tools, bedding displays and indoor plants can really help lift your mood. You may not even buy anything, but browsing can provide inspiration or remind you of something you already have that could be repurposed.

4 Visit a garden 

Be inspired by a visit to one of the RHS Gardens
Seasonal beauty can be found in the wealth of gardens in your local area. If you don’t live near an RHS Garden, there are now more than 230 RHS Partner Gardens around the country and abroad, which open their garden gates for your pleasure, as well as gardens that open for charities such as the National Garden Scheme (NGS) and other organisations such as the National Trust. 

There is always something new to see, thanks to seasonal planting and the ever-changing nature of gardening. Take a notebook and note plants you like, taking photographs of appealing combinations to copy. Talk to the gardeners about things you like, and ask questions. They are incredibly knowledgeable. 

Consider making garden visits part of your next holiday, either in the UK or abroad. Thinking about trips in the future is a way of helping us look forward, giving us a sense of hope and purpose.  

5 Engage your senses 

Take time to observe things around you
Take time to smell seasonal flowers, enjoy the textures of leaves, listen to the birdsong, look up, down and around you, pick fresh herbs and salad leaves.  

These seemingly simple tasks can focus the mind, reduce stress and stop overthinking. By focusing on what is around you and how it makes you feel, you distract your thoughts from things that might be causing you to worry or feel anxious. It can take time to really put this into practice, as most of us are easily distracted, but practicing can be enough to move your thoughts onwards. 

6 Create an inspiring view 

Create something beautiful to look at from inside the house
Generally, we spend a lot more time inside during the winter months, so try to create interesting or beautiful vistas from your windows. Even on the dullest day you should be able to look out of your windows and see something beautiful, be it plants, a simple pot or sculpture, a specimen tree or shrub. Place birdfeeders near or on windows so you can watch their antics during the colder months. 

Even the smallest of spaces can make use of window ledges and balcony railings, either by growing microgreens, herbs and houseplants or by securely hanging planters over the bars and filling them with edible or ornamental plants. Include some winter flowering plants and you’ll encourage more wildlife to visit too.  

7 Hide tricky areas  

Make something functional into something beautiful
We all have them – bins, sheds, garages, next doors’ windows – but there are lots of cunning ways to hide problem areas using plants and structures. Bins and bikes usually live at the front of the house in full view, so you could buy or build a store with a green roof to house them. 

To draw the eye away from sheds and garages you can erect a freestanding trellis, or attach it to the side of the building, and grow evergreen wall shrubs or climbers to make them look pretty year-round. Add plants with berries to attract wildlife. 

8 Assess your space 

Winter is a good time to assess your garden and make future plans
Now is a good time to take stock. If you inherit a garden and don’t like some of the plants, make a note to take them out and give them to someone who does. Only grow things you love to look at or enjoy eating. Have patience at first, giving them a year’s grace to see if they appeal to you or not, or if they serve some unknown purpose, such as disguising the smell of a septic tank, or thorns that act as a security barrier. If after that time you really don’t like them, ask neighbours, friends and family if they would like them. One gardener’s rubbish is another gardener’s treasure. 

9 Pick from your garden 

Nothing beats picking crops from your own garden
Be it flowers, things to eat or decorations for the home, there’s nothing like picking the plants you have planted and watched grow. If you love flowers, picking a few winter blooms from your garden is very rewarding and doesn’t have to involve grand-scale floristry. Even a few simple stems of greenery in a pretty jug can bring a smile to your face, better still if they have winter scent.  

Growing a few tasty herbs in pots can make all the difference to meals, packed with goodness and can be bought all year round. In small spaces you could plant a fruit bush for next summer’s crop, or sow microgreens on a windowsill for quick harvests. 

When it comes to food, you’ll feel more rewarded and satisfied if you grow things you love to eat and therefore take more care to nurture them. If you’re new to growing crops, follow our simple guides to help you find your way. 

10 Make a mindful space 

Find somewhere you can feel at peace, and watch the ducks
On those longed-for sunny winter days, make somewhere to sit in the garden and find a sense of peace. A simple seat is enough and gives you a place to admire your garden handiwork. You could place a seat near where birds feed or where you have a view of trees or the city skyline. Make it your own, adding pots of favourite winter plants, and have blankets and cushions inside near the door so you can wrap up on the way out. 

If you have a conservatory, porch or shed, having somewhere to be inside but see outside gives you that sense of being in nature. If space is tight, a drop down or foldable seat makes a great instant perch. 

11 Plant a tree 

Plant a tree and enjoy watching it grow over the years
Bare root planting is done in winter and is a cost-effective way of planting a tree. Research which tree would suit your space, using the internet or by visiting a garden, park or woodland. There are trees for all sizes of garden and soil. Planting a tree is like looking to the future, and you can look forward to seeing it grow over your lifetime. It can also be a wonderful way of creating a lasting memorial to lost loved ones. 

Think about where the tree will fit best with other plants, create a focal point, or hide overlooking windows. You could choose something with year-round interest – berries, blooms or autumn colour – or something with scent or interesting bark. 

12 Just add water 

Add water to your garden and the wildlife will come
Adding water to your garden has been shown to bring the most wildlife. If you don’t have space for a small pond, a bowl of water, regularly cleaned and topped up, can provide for birds at high level, or hedgehogs on the ground. Just as being by the sea, a river or a lake can feel soothing, watching the reflections, or listening to the trickle of a fountain at home can absorb you and create a sense of stillness.

13 Talk to your neighbours  

Gardening together can bring so much joy
Whether these are across the field or across the fence, getting to know your neighbours opens many doors, from friendship to trading partner; you can share plants, seeds and time but also boost your wellbeing by feeling part of a neighbourhood. If you are feeling lonely, pottering in the front garden or even just sweeping the path gives you the opportunity to engage in conversation with passers-by. 

Community gardening groups have sprung up all over the country. Check local notice boards or social media pages to see what’s happening near you. This might be helping tend a community garden, planting up your local train station, or growing food together. 

14 Get to know your houseplants

Spend time getting to know your houseplants
Every home should have at least one houseplant, pick one you love and learn how to care for it. This is a great task for a wet day. Make yourself a warm drink, grab your laptop (or borrow a book from the library) and look up each houseplant you own. Learn its needs, where it needs to be positioned, how much water and light it needs and when to feed it.  

Along the way you might find new plants you fancy for different rooms of the house, so spend some time finding out where you can buy them.  

15 Teach the next generation 

Help the next generation find awe and wonder in nature
The future of our planet and our gardens is in the hands of the next generation, so teach children all you know about looking after it well. Take them to the woods or a local garden and show them the world around them and how exciting it is.  Help them explore nature, plants and the creatures that share the planet with us.  

The RHS engages children in many ways, with school workshops, teaching aids and training. Help your local school by volunteering with outdoor projects. 

16 Write a garden task list 

Make a list and tick things off
Having a list of garden tasks and being able to tick them off once you’ve done them gives an incredible amount of satisfaction, which can help your mental health, boosting self-esteem. Sit somewhere you can see your garden and make notes on jobs to do, either for the weekend, the month or the season. Put a box next to each so you can have the thrill of ticking it off once accomplished. The RHS Grow app sends members a list of garden tasks each month. Download the app and select to receive push notifications for reminders.

17 Walk in the woods

Let yourself be absorbed by the beauty of ancient woodland
Trees are our lifeblood, and they’re everywhere. Take a walk in woods, along a leafy street, through a park and admire their shape, form and colour. Take time to stand and stare, appreciating their beauty and how long they have stood there. There is a solidity to trees, a sense of time past that can sometimes help put things into perspective, making small problems feel less significant. Forest bathing has been shown to have so many benefits, including reducing blood pressure, lowering stress, improving energy, and improving concentration and memory.

18 Create a nature display 

Let your mind by entranced by the tiny details of natural objects
When out on one of your walks in nature or even in your own garden, you might find natural treasures such as pinecones, dried leaves or twigs. These make interesting seasonal displays to give you something to focus on and prolong the feeling of when you were immersed in nature. Give them a gentle shake to remove any creatures that have made their homes inside first. Remember, it is illegal to take wild plants and fungi (without the landowner’s permission) and remember to give them back to nature afterwards or add to your compost. 

19 Make your home festive all year round 

A wreath doesn’t have to be just for Christmas, enjoy them year-round
We know that homes look wonderful adorned with greenery at Christmas but why not make this a seasonal task. Make wreaths to cheer up the door year-round, pot up small plants for the dining table, prune branches from flowering shrubs to have in vases for scent and colour. Fill your home with nature and let it fill you with joy. The act of gathering material for this is a mindful task in itself, either from your own garden or from friends and family. Choose interesting flower stems, bare or evergreen branches and think about how each will look with its neighbours to create a stunning seasonal display. 

20 Make friends with the wildlife 

Enjoy watching the wildlife that visits your garden
Feed the birds, the hedgehogs and the foxes. Think of insects as friends not foes – many slugs will hoover up the detritus instead of eating your plants, and the thrushes enjoy munching snails. Ladybirds and ants eat aphids, and they are all a part of the circle of nature, our wonderful world of biodiversity that helps make the world grow. Spend time observing them in your garden and think about how you can create habitats for them, by making a hedgehog house, bee hotel or small pond. 

21 Get an allotment (or grow your own at home) 

Allotments can be a source of great joy and satisfaction
If you don’t have a garden, these are the most wonderful spaces for growing crops, meeting new friends and sharing the successes and failures of a growing year. They can help alleviate loneliness, boost self-esteem, and of course improve your diet by eating the food you have grown, with zero food miles and knowing exactly how it has been sown, grown and nurtured. If you feel daunted by looking after a plot alone, ask about sharing a plot, either with friends or to make new friends. And if travelling to an allotment doesn’t suit, every space can grow a little food, whether that be herbs, fruit or veg in pots. 

22 Make compost  

Relish the magic of making your own compost
There is something wonderfully magical about making your own compost, arousing childhood memories of mixing potions with soil and petals. It’s not complicated, Mother Nature does it every day of her life, and it’s all part of the natural cycle of life. If you don’t have space for a compost bin outside, try using a wormery or bokashi kit and if that isn’t for you, most councils now have food waste collections where they will make compost on a grand scale and often sell it back to the community. 

23 Take a closer look 

Taking photographs of plants gives you time to study their beauty
Spend some time getting up close and personal with your plants. They are beautiful creations, full of tiny strokes of colour and shade, thick and glossy or translucent like fairy wings. Leaves and petals are the most perfect creations so take time to truly admire their details, a mindful task to help soothe and relax, ease anxiety and stress. Perhaps take macro images of the details or have a go at painting or drawing them. No art is bad art.  

24 Sweep the decks 

Clearing the path to your front door is a simple but effective task
The simple task of sweeping the steps, the deck or the patio will not only keep you fit but everything looks better against a clear surface. Think of it like vacuuming the carpet or wiping the worktops and how much better the house looks and feels when the surfaces are clear. If you have a clear route to and from the house it can help you feel in control of your surroundings and provide safe access at the same time. 

25 Cheer up your desk

A tidy desk means a tidy mind
Place houseplants or small vases of flowers on your desk to cheer up your day. This makes a wonderful morning task, to step out into the garden and collect something to look or smell lovely during your day. Bringing the outside in can help you feel part of the world around you and less isolated. Having plants around you can alleviate stress and give you something else to focus on during a busy day.

26 Trim the edges

Sharpening up the edges of your lawn makes an instant impact
The fastest way to get a garden looking neat is to cut the lawn and clip the edges. This will make the borders look 100% tidier and give you a gentle workout. In January, most mowers will be cleaned and stowed away for the winter, although some areas may have mild winters that allow grass to continue to grow, but using a half-moon to tidy up lawn edges is a nice winter job if the grass isn’t frosty or wet, which could cause compaction. If you want a more wildlife friendly garden and are keeping your grass longer in areas, keeping the edges neat will give definition to the spaces. 

27 Learn to prune 

Lose the fear factor – learn how to prune your trees and shrubs
Pruning trees, shrubs and climbers is not as scary as you think. Use the RHS website to learn how to prune the plants in your garden. This could be a gentle trim to stop branches getting in the way or tackling overgrown varieties. Once you have done this once you will gain confidence to tackle other shrubs and trees. Many plants respond well to pruning in their dormant season, and renovation pruning can also be carried out in the winter or early spring months. 

28 Take a course 

There are courses to suit all learners, including in meditation
There are now so many amazing courses to help you learn about your plants and how to garden. Many professional gardeners and Garden Consultants will offer Garden Coaching, where they garden alongside you, teaching you about your garden and your plants. The RHS Gardens offer day courses and give talks on specific tasks. 

29 Subscribe to a garden magazine

There is so much to learn from good garden publications
There are lots out there, from expert to beginner level and the RHS offers several publications. You could even share a subscription with neighbours or your allotment group, getting seasonal advice on what to do in the garden and some great plant offers too. Make a cuppa, find a cosy spot to sit and let your attention be grabbed by a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.

30 Divide and conquer 

Divide plants to share with friends
The most wonderful thing about gardening is how easy it is to share. Most perennials will naturally divide themselves as they get older, either dying off in the centre as the older growth dies or sending off new shoots to create new plants. Bulbs such as snowdrops can be divided after flowering. Learn to divide your plants, replanting some and potting up others to give away to friends, family and neighbours – the joy of giving. 

31 Share the love 

Volunteer with the RHS to make new friends and enjoy time in beautiful spaces
Give yourself a pat on the back! If you do even some of these things, you can congratulate yourself and call yourself a gardener. It’s a magical and ancient pastime that will reward you for life, both physically and mentally. Share this joy (and this list) with friends, family, neighbours and strangers, helping to grow your garden community. Volunteer with an RHS group or become an RHS member to benefit from the important expertise and research that the RHS is passionate about. By being involved with the RHS you are contributing to charity, which is one of the NHS 5 steps to mental wellbeing.

 

About the author - Natalie Ashbee

Natalie grew up on an arable farm in North Cornwall. She was a primary school teacher, then started a gardening business, moving into garden and planting design. She spent several years in Bristol, where she was a horticulturist for garden TV programmes. She now lives and gardens in West Cornwall.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.