Winter Interest Plants & Spring Succession: What Nanaimo Gardeners Should Be Doing Now
Winter in Nanaimo may feel quiet in the garden, but it’s actually one of the most important seasons for setting yourself up for a thriving spring. In our mild Zone 7B coastal climate, what you don’t rush to do can be just as beneficial as what you do. From choosing plants with winter interest to caring for your soil and timing your cleanup, here’s how to work with the season instead of against it.
Planting for Winter Interest (and Why It Matters)
A well-designed garden doesn’t disappear in winter. Plants chosen for structure, texture, and evergreen interest create beauty now while also supporting spring succession.
In Nanaimo, winter interest plants often include:
- Evergreen shrubs like boxwood, rhododendron, and skimmia
- Ornamental grasses left standing for movement and seed heads
- Perennials with strong structure such as sedum, echinacea, and yarrow
- Trees and shrubs with interesting bark or form, like dogwood or witch hazel
These plants hold the garden together visually through winter while protecting soil and beneficial insects. Come spring, they act as anchors around which early bulbs and new growth can emerge naturally, creating a layered, intentional look rather than a bare reset.
Planning for Spring Succession Now
Succession planting isn’t about planting everything at once — it’s about timing and flow. Winter is the perfect time to observe your garden and plan where early, mid, and late-season plants will take turns shining.
Ask yourself:
- Where does snowdrop, crocus, or daffodil emerge first?
- Which perennials are slow to wake up and need early-season companions?
- Where can spring bulbs or early groundcovers fill gaps before summer growth kicks in?
By planning now, you can plant bulbs, bare-root plants, or early spring perennials at the right moment, ensuring continuous interest without overcrowding later in the season.
What Should We Be Doing With Our Soil in Winter?
In Zone 7B, soil care is more about protection than disturbance.
What helps your soil in winter:
- Leave plant roots in place to prevent erosion and compaction
- Top-dress with compost or leaf mulch instead of digging it in
- Avoid walking on saturated soil, which damages soil structure
- Let organic matter break down naturally over the winter months
Our coastal rains do a lot of the work for us, slowly pulling nutrients down into the soil profile. By spring, soil that’s been left covered and undisturbed is looser, healthier, and far easier to work with.
Why Waiting to Clean Up Is Better for Your Garden
It’s tempting to cut everything back the moment fall hits, but delaying cleanup until warmer temperatures offers huge benefits — especially in Nanaimo’s climate.
Leaving cleanup until spring helps by:
- Providing shelter for beneficial insects and pollinators overwintering in stems and leaf litter
- Protecting plant crowns from temperature swings and heavy rain
- Preventing nutrient loss by allowing organic material to decompose in place
- Supporting birds with seed heads and winter habitat
In Zone 7B, many beneficial insects don’t emerge until temperatures consistently stay above 10°C (50°F). Cutting back too early removes their shelter just when they need it most.
A good rule of thumb:
Wait until spring is truly underway and new growth is visible before cutting back perennials and grasses.
A More Natural, Resilient Garden
Gardening in Nanaimo is about working with our mild winters, not fighting them. By choosing plants with winter interest, caring for your soil gently, and resisting the urge to over-clean, you’re building a garden that’s healthier, more resilient, and far easier to manage in the long run.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your garden in winter… is let it rest.
If you’d like help planning winter interest plantings or setting your garden up for spring success, we’re always happy to walk through it with you — soil boots and coffee included.