1. Plants have a much better chance of survival.

In the San Diego area, we have many hot and dry days. These are usually the least favorable days to plant and increases the chance of transplant shock for plants. The cloudier, cooler days of winter are ideal for planting because plants have a better chance of survival due to not drying out as quickly.

2. Soil is easier to dig.

As a general rule, our winters in San Diego are much wetter than Spring, Summer, and even into late October. When we have had our typical amount of rain, our soil is much easier to dig, than it is after a hot dry winter, when the lack of water has turned our soil into what feels like concrete.  Take advantage of this by digging up the spaces you’ll need for your new plants, or at the very least, aerating your soil!

3. More plant availability and selection.

Because the weather is a bit cooler, the holidays, and for some of us, the urge to cocoon in winter, most of us aren’t spending as much time in our outdoor spaces as we do the rest of the year.  As spring rolls around, we suddenly realize that we want a new look outside, have empty spots in the garden, or just get the urge to plant. Unfortunately, so do a lot of other people, and plants at both retail nurseries and the wholesale nurseries tend to run out quickly during popular planting seasons.  This is why winter is a great time to get your landscape plans drawn up so that you can have more choices.

4. More contractor availability

In addition to having more plants available, landscape contractors tend to be less busy, during winter, so it’s a great time to have your plan installed while they have more availability. 

5. Free water (from the rain)!

Finally, winter is a great time to plant, because as I mentioned earlier, we have more rain in the winter. This means that your new plants are getting the water that they need, part of that water is free!  In our semi-arid San Diego climate, that’s nothing to sneeze at (fingers crossed that you’re not picking up a winter cold!)

Do you have any questions about winter planting, landscape plans, plants, or anything else?  Email us hello@blumedesignstudio.com.  We’d love to chat with you.