Gardening doesn't mean that you have to limit your green thumb to the spring, summer, and fall months of the year. When it comes to growing things you can just as easily garden in the winter as you can at any other time of the year. Winter gardening means that you can enjoy green plants on your window sill even while there is snow on the ground. True, most plants go into a period of sleep during the colder winter months. Blossoms fall off and leaves turn brown. But there are several things that you can do so that you enjoy green foliage and blossoms throughout the winter months. All it takes is a few tips and a bit of patience.

One main thing to remember is not to over-water plants during their dormancy. Even if they look brown and dry, they don't need as much water when they are at rest. If you make the mistake of giving them too much water, the leaves will start dropping. You'll need to adapt to a new watering schedule during the winter.

Release some moisture into your home air if at all possible. This will help both your houseplants and you. Ways to accomplish this are with a humidifier, or boiling a pot of water and letting it simmer on the stovetop. Moist air ensures that your plants won't become too dry.

When it comes to winter gardening you may have to realize that there are some plants that simply won't last for a long period of time. These plants include Gloxinia, Chrysanthemum, and Cyclamem. Try to focus your winter gardening efforts on plants other than these three plants. Anytime that you purchase an indoor plant make sure that you find as much information about the plant as you can. Find out how much light and water the particular plant needs so that you don't over water the soil or keep it too dry. If you make sure that the conditions are right for your indoor house plants you increase your chances of seeing bright flowers lining your window sills during the winter months.

Bugs sometimes are more of a nuisance to your plants when you are practicing winter gardening. If you find this to be a problem, study the best way to treat each plant before you use chemicals. Also, try to allow as much light in as possible. The days are shorter in winter, so put the plants who love sun in your windows that get the most of it.

If you try your hardest and still aren't successful, you may consider a terrarium. They are easy to keep up and you can grow cacti, some herbs, orchids and other green plants.