Savvy Remodeler Windows and Doors
Related Articles
Must-Know Tips for Designing a Stunning Winter Garden Landscape
When the weather turns cold, don’t neglect your garden’s potential. Here’s a few tips on choosing and utilizing plants that stand out in winter.
The lush vibrancy of gardens in full summer bloom fades in winter, particularly where the cold is intense and persistent. However, this does not mean your garden must remain a dormant space until spring. Winter can cast a unique charm with its understated elegance, offering new opportunities for garden aesthetics. To invigorate your garden during the chillier days, there are specific plants that thrive in winter’s frigid temps. Follow these garden design strategies for incorporating such plants to ensure your outdoor space remains captivating year-round.
Take Stock of Your Current Landscape
Begin by evaluating your current winter garden’s appearance. Take pictures to identify areas that need improvement or are particularly pleasing. Make notes on the views from your home’s windows. Measure areas you’re considering for winter features to understand the space you have available.
Divide Winter Into Smaller Segments
Winter can be divided into early, mid, and late phases, each suitable for plant types that peak in interest at different times. For instance, early winter may showcase plants that bloom in the cooler onset of the season, while others wait to reveal their flowers as the chill begins to thaw, approaching spring. To ensure continuous blooms throughout winter, consider planting a combination that corresponds to these distinct intervals of the season.
Find Plants With Year-Round Appeal
Evergreens are a go-to for maintaining greenery in winter as they retain their leaves throughout the year. However, a range of leaf-shedding plants can also provide vibrancy with their winter characteristics. Search for trees and shrubs that contribute to the winter scene with distinctive bark, berries, or flowers. Notable choices are witch hazel, pussy willow, viburnum, and redtwig dogwood. Some perennials, like hellebores, can flower in the cold months as well. Additionally, numerous ornamental grasses hold onto their showy seed heads for the duration of the season.
Position Plants With Purpose
If you possess a plant that flourishes in the winter but isn’t situated in plain view from a window or along a pathway, think about relocating it to a spot where it’s more visible. (Keep in mind that the ideal seasons for repositioning plants are spring and fall.) Also, make use of evergreen bushes and trees to obscure any unattractive sights, like a bare fence that may not have stood out as much during the summer.
Incorporate Plants for Birds
The winter landscape offers a unique backdrop for observing birds and other wildlife. For example, the striking red plumage of a cardinal or the fast motions of a woodpecker becomes more noticeable against the snow. To attract and nourish birds, be sure t o incorporate plants that produce berries or seeds. Evergreen trees and dense shrubbery can also act as havens, offering protection from winter weather.
