I work outside as much as possible - get out in the sunshine whenever it shines. I also have a lot of houseplants and I tend to buy some small blooming thing (houseplant) to remind me that spring is on the way.

We wouldn't enjoy spring if we didn't go through winter first.

I plan what I am going to plant in the spring or what new gardens I am going to create.

Also, if you think about it, spring is less than 8 weeks away and we should see the daffodils pop up soon.

I am already noticing the days getting longer.

I am glad the predicted snow for tomorrow will now be rain.

Try winter sowing. I got hooked about four years ago, and it certainly gives me something to do after Christmas. Then, I can go out and check to see if anything has sprouted. It is particularly good for seeds that need stratification, i.e.,cold weather, to develop. And even plants that don't require cold can get a head start if you plant the seeds in late winter. Check out the winter sowing forum for ideas.

I have a very wild area, thus no planning is needed, but I do look at all the catalogs that are sent to me with the idea of adding a few more plants. And I walk around if weather permits.I have already seen signs of growth. Spring will be here!

Start planning now to plant some evergreen plants where you can see them from the windows. I love the boxwoods by my cistern because they stay green all winter. Same for the mountain laurel by the creek and the azaleas by the carport. You might also think about plants with interesting bark textures and branch formations. I have both tulip trees and birch trees and they provide contrast. I like each season best for different reasons. With heavily wooded property, winter is the only time you can actually see very far! Then I think I like spring for totally different reasons, then come summer, it is my favorite until fall and its colors come along for me to like best :o)

I do much the same as TriangleJohn, get outside as much as I can. I also have a lot of houseplants, African Violets, some Banana, succulents, and some cacti in a very sunny window. I also keep a small greenhouse and do spend some time in there working as well. It all helps, as I am not a fan of winter and look very forward to spring. It's about time for me to start some of my spring activities soon, starting some seeds and such. This has been a hard winter here, hope spring is coming soon!!

1. Be grateful you don't live in the northeast! Too much snow to be enjoyable, with another wallop this week!
2. Browse seed/plant catalogs you can request free online.
3. Pay attention to houseplant watering needs; rearrange those under plant lights for most pleasing affect, as you gaze at them from the couch/chair.
4. Smile and tell business people how much you enjoy that day's sunshine; enjoy the lengthening days and new garden sprouts to come!!!

Sure has been one winter for cold stratification!
The marginal trees and shrubs that prefer a more Northerly location will probably do well this spring having had a real winter's nap this season.
The funny thing about North Carolina gardening is every year the weather in winter is different. Lots of challenges from temps and rainfall. Many years I'd be outside tilling the veg garden this week. Other years you have to wait until March because it's too wet or too cold.
January flew by and Feb is a short month. Hang in there.

Carolina Gardening magazine this month features a DEEP PURPLE mimosa tree on the cover. Boy is that tempting!

I love winter and find lots to do in the winter garden -- there are lots of plants that really shine this time of year. This is the season for hellebores, cyclamen, winter honeysuckle, Iris unguicularis, witch hazel, sweetbox, mahonia hybrids and winter daphne. This is when I enjoy the contorted branches of Harry Lauder's walking stick (Corylus avellana 'Contorta'), the bright red stems of coral bark maple, and the winter colors of conifers. There are buds on the early daffodils and crocuses, which last year were already in bloom by now. There are plenty of chores as well. This is my favorite time of year for planting dormant trees and shrubs, and I can still get away with planting whatever bulbs got lost in the garage last fall.

Look for two books, 'The Winter Garden' by Peter Loewer and Larry Mellichamp and 'Gardens in Winter' by Elizabeth Lawrence, all NC authors.

I've got my peas in and am eagerly awaiting signs of sprouting. Next weekend I'll be planting the first of the spring crops -- Turnips and mustard greens, IIRC (I'll check my planting calendar on Monday). I've measured all my garden spaces and am hunting up the graph paper so I can start planning how to shoehorn it all in.

As a transplanted yankee I marvel at how much winter gardening is possible down here where the ground never does freeze pickax hard.

Alas, my collards, cabbage, and brussels sprouts are pretty sorry looking but that's the drought more than the winter.

Also, I'm watching the buds swell on a bush that was in the yard when we bought the house. It blooms in the dead of winter, just before the camillias, with tiny, cream-yellow, snapdragon-like flowers that have the most amazing scent.

We have no idea what it is, and it tends to look a bit ratty in the summer but have declined to cut it down even though it sits in the middle of my space-challenged vegetable garden because that incredible scent in mid-winter is wonderful.

Your dead of winter blooming shrub sounds like winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima.

I have my screened in porch filled with pansies, ivies and kale. The shifting sun allows enough light in winter but summer I'm back to all ferns.
Anyway, I do find pansies to be so cheerful in winter. I always have lots of them in the beds outside too.
But the screened in porch is a mini retreat on nice days and a joy to look at even when I don't sit out there.
I probably spend more money for the patio plants than anything in the yard but I find it's worth it.
Forcing bulbs inside is also a great way to lift the spirits but I don't do it often enough.

I second the wintersowing! It's not only therapeutic, it's a cheap way to get lots of plants. I do 2-3 containers every spare afternoon if I can for a few weeks in Jan. and Feb. I also have a few boxes of pansies planted near the window so I can look out on a cold day and see their happy faces. I have planted early daffodils and crocus so there will be something blooming when everything else is still brown. Some of them are already up an inch or two.

I thought of you when I stumbled across this. Something like this in your garden would make you smile all winter. You might get loads of ideas going through the GardenWeb board on Garden Junk

Here is a link that might be useful: GardenWeb - Garden Junk

This is not garden related, but I volunteer at a food pantry 2X a week. It helps me much more than I help them.