Winter is here! That means fireplaces, cozy sweaters, hot chocolate, fuzzy socks and snow! While the winter and holiday season is one of the best times of the year, ensuring your landscaping holds its appeal through winter can be somewhat of an aesthetic challenge.
Unlike the fall season, winter doesn’t give you a lot of colours to work with. There’s no blend of crimson, burnt orange, and green smattering the sidewalks. There are just dull greens, and if you live in an area prone to snowfall, everything is in shades of white and gray.
Wintertime is not where the mind goes when you think of landscaping. But wait, all hope is not lost! It’s all about having a landscaping strategy to keep your garden looking good all year long.
Tips for Winter Landscaping
We’ve got five tips and tricks you can use to make your winter garden give your spring gardens a run for their money. So, grab your landscape supplies in Calgary and let’s get started!
Plants with Berries Are Your Friends
Choosing plants with berries is an excellent way to add colour to your winter garden.
Trees like holly, blackthorn, and rowan retain their berries well into the winter. Holly significantly adds a festive touch to your garden during the holiday season! Crabapples also have fruit during the winter season, making them an excellent pop of colour in winter landscapes.
The little pops of colour from berry-bearing trees are guaranteed to take the otherwise white winter landscape up a notch!
Use Bark and Mulch
Yes, most trees lose their leaves in the fall and don’t grow them back until the spring. But the trick is to use the bark to your winter landscape’s advantage. Trees with thicker, distinctive barks add a lot of character to your landscape, giving it a rustic feel that is perfect for the holiday season.
Plus, you won’t have to put in much effort landscaping besides tidying up the branches and bark, making it incredibly easy in a pinch!
If your garden has the space, plant trees with ornamental bark such as snakegum, eucalyptus, and paperbark maples. Trust us; their bark is just as beautiful as their leaves!
Evergreens!
Evergreens are plants and trees that retain leaves throughout the year, making them excellent for the winter season. Use plant evergreens in your garden to have your garden keep colour throughout the winter season.
Despite the name, evergreens don’t only come in shades of green. There are blue evergreens such as dwarf blue spruce, yellow evergreens like evergreen azaleas, and red with photinias.
Pair these with the rustic bark and berries, and your winter landscape is going to be the hit of the block.
Hardscape
Here’s an idea, shift the focus from the landscaping to the hardscapes! Make hardscapes the focal points of your winter gardens. Something as simple as a bench or swing is guaranteed to accessorize your landscape.
And if you’re in the mood to splurge, get a garden sculpture!
Four Season Perennials
Get some soil in Calgary and get planting! Perennials are plants that grow and retain leaves through multiple growing seasons. Pick out some evergreens that stay colourful through the winter season, and they’ll make a lovely addition to your winter landscape!
To prepare your garden for planting, search for soil amendment in Calgary. It’s essential not to place all your focus on the trees; everything contributes to the overall aesthetic of your garden, even small plants are going to bring everything together!
As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to pick up your tools and get landscaping on that winter garden. We hope this helped; use these tips to keep your garden looking beautiful during the coming months.
Happy Holidays!