If you look closely now, you can see the signs of spring in your garden

The end of January is the beginning of new life.

Go outdoors and look closely for signs of spring. Buds will be getting plumper on trees and shrubs. Snowdrops and early daffodils may be pushing their snouts up out of the ground. If the ground is not frozen, you can pull weeds, prune trees and shrubs, and pick up fallen branches and debris.

The days are getting longer so celebrate!

Q. We have a new yard. If I prune back woody branches from overgrown shrubs, can I put these into a compost pile? Do I need sides on my compost pile or can I just pile things up? — G.H., Bonney Lake

A. Anything once living will rot eventually, but woody material takes longer than green or herbaceous material like fallen leaves and weeds.

One method to use if you have a lot of yard waste is to lay down the woody branches first into a shallow pit. Now add layers of green grass clippings, brown leaves and assorted weeds with roots and soil attached on top of the woody material. Use the soil you dug from the pit to layer on top. The more green and brown layers, the faster the pile will rot.

Piles of garden refuse can take several years to several months to break down into compost, depending on many factors. You can look up my own three-bin compost system for lazy gardeners on YouTube just by searching my name and the word compost.

Congratulations on the new yard and welcome to the adventure of garden making.

Q. I took some cuttings of houseplants and put them into glasses of water. Some, like the jade plant, died, but the spider plant and philodendron cuttings now have roots. My question is: When do I take these new plants out of the water and put them into pots of soil? — B.B., Email

A. Congrats on your new plants. Once the roots are 1 to 2 inches long, you can carefully transplant them into potting soil. Do not use a container that is too large. A pot 2 to 3 inches across is best so that you can keep the soil slightly moist but not wet.

This is the kindergarten stage of plant maturity and they need added humidity (so mist the leaves) and careful watering. In a few more months, when lots of new roots have formed, your young plants can graduate to 6 inch pots and you can take a bow.

Q. When do I plant dahlia bulbs outside? Asking for a friend. — Anon

A. Wait until May. Dahlias are called tender bulbs because the new growth can be harmed by frost. I think they are also called tender bulbs because their summer beauty makes one tender hearted.

Reach Marianne Binetti through her website at binettigarden.com or write to her at P.O. Box 872, Enumclaw WA 98022.