You might think gardening and winter go together like oil and water but that is not true. There are many plants and garden features that look beautiful and lively all 365 days of the year. Plants can adapt and survive in the winter and many thrive in the freezing cold. This article has everything you need to know about planting and designing the perfect winter garden. This way you can enjoy and admire your garden no matter the temperature outside.
What Do You Do With Your Garden in the Winter?
Do you wait it out and ignore your garden, hoping everything survives the winter? This is not necessary, because fortunately, there are options to create an attractive winter garden that sustains itself through even the coldest months. A well-designed garden will have a mixture of different plants and garden features. Plants with different heights, textures, colors and bloom time create an aesthetically pleasing garden design all year. Landscaping your garden with rocks, stones, and wood will also add an attractive touch to any garden, especially in the winter.
What Can You Grow in a Winter Garden?
Surprisingly, there is an abundance of plants that can grow and thrive in your winter garden. Pines, Spruces, and cedars grow in the winter and look wonderful covered in snow. Although these coniferous trees grow at a slower rate in the winter, they don’t lose their leaves. They need water and fertilizer to grow in your winter garden. Wintergreen boxwoods are another great plant to appreciate in the wintertime. This medium to small hedge requires partial sun and mulch to survive the winter. Another great feature of the wintergreen boxwood is that it is deer resistant so you don’t have to worry about deer browsing in your winter landscape. Coral Bark Maple is a great specimen tree for the winter garden, not for its leaves, flowers or berries but for its hot coral-colored bark. Coral Bark Maples provide bright colored branches in contrast to the winter landscape. Another great plant for the winter garden is the Paper Bark Maple. The Paper Bark Maple does not bloom or keep its leaves during the winter, its winter beauty comes from its exfoliating bark. The Paper Bark Maple thrives in both sun and part shade conditions. Pachysandra is another plant that is a welcomed addition to a winter garden. Pachysandra is an evergreen groundcover that prefers shade conditions, as well as a spring application of fertilizer.
What Plants Flower in the Winter?
Thankfully, there are many plants that bud and flower in the cold months. Your winter garden must feature these pretty plants that produce colorful flowers and berries in the freezing temperatures. One of the most common plants to feature in the wintertime is the Winterberry Holly. This holly needs full sun and should be planted in the fall. Winterberries yield round red, orange or yellow berries that will add much-needed color to your winter garden. Another winter staple is Hellebores. Hellebores are green all year round and produce colorful flowers in later winter/early spring. This perennial can be found in a variety of colors from white to red, and are a great accent to the deer-resistant winter garden. Witch hazels are another winter-blooming shrub that provides yellow, orange or red blooms when most other plant material is dormant. Witch hazels prefer part to full sun conditions and shine as a focal point in the winter garden.
Can You Design Your Garden in the Winter?
Can You Design Your Garden in the Winter?Winter garden design is very similar to any other garden design. When designing your winter garden, keep in mind texture, color, and use. You want your winter garden to have different textures, such as rough, prickly evergreens and smooth, delicate berries. As with any garden design, color is usually the biggest component. Pops of color sprinkled in with millions of shades of green make for gorgeous garden design. Lastly, make sure your garden is functional. An attractive winter garden will feature different depth, sizes, and objects that can be viewed from multiple spaces. During the winter months, we do not use the landscape as we typically do during warmer weather. Proper winter garden design will take that into account and design keeping in mind the views from the home’s windows. Don’t be afraid to add different design features such as benches, statues, and large weather resistant containers.
Borst Landscape & Design can help you design and maintain the ideal winter garden. We? They specialize in landscape design and maintenance and they even offer organic programs. Their experienced garden design specialist will help you pick out the right plants for your winter garden. Contact Borst Landscape & Design today to begin!