The start of the New Year means there are some garden resolutions to consider. Some of these promises to your garden will make your life easier. Some will be better for old Mother Earth and some will just force you to enjoy your garden more. Here’s to a productive 2026 that will keep you growing.

Resolve to replace struggling plants

Got a hosta that gets sunburned every summer? Move it to the shade.

Does your hydrangea under the trees fail to bloom? Move it to a spot with partial sun.

Rose bush covered with mildew and blackspot? Why put up with ugly plants. Dig it out.

Resolve to invest in a plant you have always wanted

Maybe you covet the new dwarf ginko that will survive in a pot. Perhaps the spotted petunia called “Starry Night” you saw at a friend’s house. This is your reminder to make a list of plants you want and then go nursery hopping this spring. Life is too short to ignore plant lust.

Resolve to weed all beds before May 1

Pulling, hoeing or smothering all weeds in your garden during the spring months will make a huge difference in the weed population over the summer.

Resolve to control the slugs and snails in the spring

There are pet safe slug baits (Worry Free and Sluggo) that are very effective if you apply them near your slug prone plants in March and April before the damage is done to tender plants. You can also spray a slug killing mix of one third ammonia and two thirds water on those tiny baby slugs that start feasting during rainstorms or with the early morning dew.

Resolve to notice what grows well in your neighbors’ landscapes

This observation is a shortcut to discovering what plants will thrive in your own garden. Do camellias bloom on the East side of the house across the street? They will most likely do well on the East side of your own home as that is where they will get the morning sun they need to flower best. Do sword ferns spread under the huge cedar tree next door? Maybe that is the answer to what will grow under your own cedar tree.

Resolve to notice the first signs of spring, the bounty of summer and the leaf change in fall.

You don’t need a garden to enjoy a garden.

January may be the depths of the winter season but the winter solstice has passed and the days are actually growing longer. Have you noticed more daylight? Do you see that tree buds are swelling? The tips of early spring bulbs popping up? Signs of spring are all around for those that care to see them. Delight in the beauty of a new year and have a productive 2026.

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.