Now is a great time to consider making some changes to your landscaping which will provide beauty and interest this winter. What makes a popular plant for the winter landscape that is sometimes nothing more than a blanket of white? You can generate some winning combinations if you combine plantings and hardscapes. An alternative to concrete such as pavers and natural stone walkways can add interest against the winter white and remind you of the promise of spring. They should be considered for their year-round beauty.
Evergreen shrubs and conifer trees always add visual interest with the difference in their leaf structure. Rhododendrons (aside from their leaves turning green to red in the fall) remain on, giving a delicate leaf to view in the winter. Red color can be added with the bark of the red twig dogwoods, and the shaggy bark of birches adds to the view out a window. A winning plant or tree for a charming winter landscape must be a plant that has one or more of the following characteristics:
- Contains colorful berries that birds like so you get berries and birds in the mix
- Catches snow on its branches and even ice when it freezes
- Has bark that has interesting structure or bark color to look at when there aren’t any leaves
- Bears evergreen foliage
- Has an interesting branch pattern
- Has a delicate structure
- Has enough height so it doesn’t get dwarfed or buried by the snow
There is also something incredibly beautiful about the moon shining on snow in the winter. You can create this winter interest in your garden by introducing low-voltage lighting that showcases your plantings in different ways using focal lights, up lights, path lights, etc.
As outdoor lighting contractors, landscape designers, and landscape architects we can enhance what you see when you look out your windows this winter. Our MN landscape design company would be happy to sit and talk about your ideas for creating beauty that can turn winter in your yard like a painting you view. Call us at 952-292-7717.
