As we head into the winter months, instead of feeling discouraged by our landscaping being buried by snow, let us help you rethink the gloomy winter season as we share some tips with you on how to obtain a beautiful landscape and make the most of the season’s own special beauty.
- Evergreens – Evergreens come in a few different colours; green, yellow and blue and their colour remains the same year-round, making them the ultimate workhorses in the winter landscape. Evergreens are low maintenance and offer focal points in your garden all year-round. When designing your landscaping, it is recommended to have at least one to two evergreens and then work around them.
- Four-Season Perennials – These are great for winter landscaping, as they add visual interest, are useful for privacy and act as a natural accessory to your garden. A few perennials we recommend adding to your landscaping include ornamental grasses, dianthus, hellebores, hostas and peonies.
- Bark – Consider planting winter-blooming tree’s to help add texture and colour to your landscaping. We recommend Japanese Magnolia, Birch Tees and our favourite, Red Twig Dogwood, which stays blood red year-round making for remarkable contrast against snow.
- Berries – Include plants with berries in your landscaping, such as Winterberry Holly and Crabapples. Tree and shrub varieties that bear berries will attract birds overwintering in your area and will provide food for them.
- Hardscaping – If you want low-maintenance landscaping, there’s really nothing hard about hardscaping. This includes all man-made features such as pathways, arbours, trellises and outdoor lighting. In addition, think about adding sculptures or a fire pit to create strong visual cues.
Enjoy your revamped winter landscape with these tips and remember, this is the only time of year we do not have to worry about weeds!
-Victoria Barnes