The Greener Guide to Wintering
Nov 30, 2025 08:00AM ● By Patti Beres
Wintering is a season of protection and renewal. Roots rest, energy is conserved, and nature quiets. Bodies crave unhurried rhythms this season, while calendars crowd.
Wintering offers a gentler seasonal script. In landscapes, evergreens hold shelter and seed heads feed birds. A light quilt of shredded leaves or compost guards soil life. Icy paths cleared with salt-free de-icer keep walkways safer. Tools prepped ahead are efficient in spring. At home, simple stewardship becomes care that outlasts urgency. Decorate and gift for quality over quantity. Prep hearty meals. Share a pot of soup (and friendship) with neighbors.This year carries a tender new marker for me: becoming a grandmother. Baby’s quiet breath nudges a gentle hush - soft and steady - as a reminder that strength is gathered in stillness. Calm allows small gestures to deepen connection: a table set with care and candlelight, a lantern by the door, fresh snow catching starlight. Wintering, in gardens and in lives, makes space for grace, connection and renewal. Rest is not absence or laziness; it’s necessary. Preparation readies roots, homes, and hearts for what will grow with time, imagination, and love.
