There still may be snow on the ground for some of us, but it’s not too early to begin envisioning the beauty of a new garden, no matter how cold it may be! Curl up by the fire and begin to dream the colors and scents of spring right now. As Maria Rodale reminds us, the best gardens begin, continue, and thrive with dreaming. Even before you start picking out your favorite plants or seeds, take the time to design and plan for the coming year.

Here are the easy steps:

1. Spend some quiet time sitting and looking out your windows. Make yourself comfortable, have some tea, and get a blanket if you’re chilly. What do you see? Are you happy with what you see? What do you wish you could glimpse out that window?

2. Start visualizing what you’d like to see. Think big. Don’t limit your thinking to the way things are now or the way they have always been. Imagine your ideal garden. The glorious thing about your garden is that your wishes can come true.

3. Remember all the best outdoor places you’ve ever loved. The woods, the desert, a secret walled garden, the beach, a tropical paradise, a lush British cottage garden, a farm…what made you love them? Of all the things you have seen and places you’ve been, what do you wish you could have outside your door?

4. Now think of all the places in the world you’d love to visit. What seems to draw you there? Is it water, mountains, your ancestral home, the food, the light?

5. Make a list of everything that you’d like to have in the yard of your dreams. Include pictures from magazines, from your travels, and from catalogs, or even from drawings.

Once you have imagined, you can begin to make your dreams into reality!