Don’t Neglect Your Landscaping in the Winter

Chances are you’re one of the many homeowners that enjoys your outdoor space in the spring and summer, but what about when the temperatures start to drop? Any landscape designer will tell you that many people turn their backs on their landscaping in the winter.  While you may think it’s difficult to surround your home with colorful flowers and greenery in the winter, your landscape designer can recommend ways to improve the appeal of your outdoor space even when it’s covered with frost.

Tips From a Landscape Designer

 ·         Plant for the season in advance. Create a landscape that doesn’t disappear for half the year by considering all four seasons and all 12 months. It may be tempting to just decorate your yard with a few pansies to brighten things up, but the truth is, it’s much better to have evergreen plants, which will become more visible after other plants lose their leaves, such as camellias, hollies and laurels.

·         Add texture. Plant trees with needles like spruce and pine, along with those with leaves like hollies, magnolias and rhododendrons. Add ground cover and perennials that last like vinca and ajuga.

·         Use pots. When it comes to landscaping in the winter, pots are easier to take care of, allowing you to move them into the sunlight or closer to the house for extra warmth.

·         Light up the landscape. You can do a great deal with an outdoor lighting installation by a landscape lighting company to illuminate key features of your yard or just to brighten dark areas. The outdoor lighting installation can help to create interesting shadows from tree branches that can truly add movement and life to your yard. A landscape lighting company can show you the possibilities.  

·         Fire it up. Outdoor fireplaces offer a cozy natural gathering place where friends and family can roast marshmallows, drink nightcaps or simply enjoy a quiet night. A landscape designer can build an outdoor fireplace at the edge of your patio or next to the wall of your house – or anywhere on the property that will accommodate a large hardscape feature with a chimney.  Whether you’re looking for a traditional wood-burning fireplace or a more eco-friendly gas-burning unit, your outdoor fireplace can be made of stone, brick, stucco or concrete, even prefabricated for lower budgets.

·         Add architecture. In addition to choosing the right plants, you can improve the look of your outdoor space with architectural elements. Stone and brick walkways are important parts of landscaping in the winter because they are more visible. Plus, it’s pleasing to look out your window and see a winding path with evergreen plants.

·         Bring the birds. Birds can be the heroes of a winter landscape. The bare stems of your usual lush-growing plants no longer hide their beautiful songs in the winter.  To invite them, leave dormant perennials like coneflower, ornamental grasses and others over the winter. Their seed heads provide structural interest and birds can enjoy scratching for the seeds all winter long.

With a little planning and the help a landscape designer and landscape lighting company, you can create the right landscaping in the winter that not only boasts beauty, but actually truly demands attention. So, get ready to bundle up and get out there!