I know exactly what you mean about the mud! I moved into my present house in the middle of the wettest Winter on record in Portugal. The garden was a blank canvas and there was nothing but mud inside the house, due to carrying all the furniture in the middle of this mess. You have all my sympathy!

As far as your Winter plans, I would advise you to draw a general plan of what you want your garden to look like, then select an area and start there. Once that area is pretty much covered, go into the next. This way you won´t divert your effort and money in the entire place, but concentrate to get some results and become motivated.

Do you have any idea of how you want your garden to look like? Formal - things like pruned boxwoods and topiary? Informal - cottage style garden? Using native plants? Planting for wildlife? Once you decide on this it will be easier to draw a rough plan and select the plantings. Winter is a wonderful time to do this. And if you have an idea of what you want to plant, you can try Winter Sowing to get you going until Spring. There´s a forum here in Gardenweb just devoted to it. I´m trying it myself this year for the first time.

Just an idea - maybe start with your front garden, or an area which you can look up from a window. For example, my front garden is planted for Fall and Winter interest, with a Christmas tree and a sweet gum tree, a firethorn hedge, hollies, nandinas, mums, dwarf conifers and a couple of roses. Even in a dreary Winter day it looks good and definitely cheers up my spirits.

Let us know more of your likes / dislikes, so that we can give better feedback.

Eduarda