Jersey Landscaping - Landscaping for Winter in New Jersey

For many homeowners, winter is simply a time to stop using the yard and wait for spring to come. They long for that time they can create a beautiful backyard landscape full of flowering plants and lush green trees. With the cold, snow and the tendency of flowers and plants to hibernate, landscaping for winter doesn’t seem possible. Well, good new. It is!

How to Master Landscape Planting in the Winter

Winter offers tons of possibilities for landscaping with everything from fast growing trees to hardy NJ plants. Here are the top four ways to build a beautiful winter landscape in New Jersey

1.Do a fall cleanup

Start with a fresh slate by clearing up any debris from the fall season. Rake the leaves and debris, and bag them up for the trash pickup. Examine your shrubs and tress for damage and sweep up your walkways.

2. Plant flowers that bloom in winter. 

Many NJ plants flower during the cold of winter. Add color to your landscape planting by choosing varieties, including:

• ·         Witch hazel boasts large blooms through fall and winter with flowers ranging from orange to a subtle yellow.  The Jelena variety is an excellent option
  
• ·         The Christmas rose is good for landscape planting in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4 to 8, and provides beautiful blooming flowers.
  
  
• ·         Add a bright splash of color by choosing NJ plants with berries, like holly plants, which are evergreen shrubs with spiked, shiny leaves and red berries. 
  
• ·         Winter jasmine is a small yellow flower that grows in USDA Zones 6 to 10, so it will survive the New Jersey winter. a small yellow flower, blooms in January, meaning that you will have this color in your garden until the snows melt and other flowers begin to bloom in spring.

3. Find hardy shrubs and fast growing trees.

Winter is perfect for fast growing tress like the evergreen. These trees native to New Jersey do not lose their leaves, and can survive very harsh conditions.

• ·         The white pine, a native plant of New Jersey, has evergreen needles that make a pretty backdrop against snow.
  
• ·         Relatives of roses, chokeberry plants are another native of New Jersey—deciduous shrubs are typically found in damp areas, and can be cultivated for ornamentation or food purposes.
  
• ·         Another evergreen shrub excellent for landscape planting is the Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica) with its purple or pink blooms that last throughout fall and winter. All these NJ plants and trees like the cold and can survive NJ winters. If your yard contains deciduous trees that lost their leaves during the fall consider hanging ornaments or wreaths on the branches for a decorative touch.

4. Consider other aspects of landscaping for winter.

Don’t forget to focus on your hardscaping in the winter. Consider adding some pieces like outdoor fireplaces or fire pits.

With so many beautiful landscape planting options available for your NJ landscape, you’re sure to design a beautiful escape from those bleak winter days.  Factors like color texture, height, evergreen or deciduous all impact landscaping for winter. So choose the right plants and trees for the right location, and enjoy!