Top Landscaping Tips for the Winter | A Little TLC Now will Make for a Beautiful Lawn in the Spring

The Winter landscaping around a home, or a few feet from a home, helps to minimize the cold drafts and/or possible harsh winds of a winter storm. While this is a big plus for a homeowner, additional benefits of winter landscapes is the beauty of the colors. A lot of people build and design their homes landscape for Summer, Spring or Fall, but they usually forget about their Winter landscape. The landscape goes from spectacular to 3 or 4 months of basically nothing.

Trees

A berry tree has deep red or orange berries that help to feed the Winter birds and some other animals as well. But, the vast majority of berry trees produce only during the Winter, which is why they should be included on this list. Anything tree that is in the hawthorne family, like. holly trees, would be a berry tree. Yet another tree that stays vibrant during the Winter months from early to late autumn, is an apple tree.

Grasses

Ornamental grass is great for the Winter garden, and there are quite a few to choose from. These are several that will be good in the Winter: Little Kitten Maiden Grasses, Purple Silver Grasses, and Cabaret Japanese Silver Grasses.

Install a Water Feature

Water fountains must be de-activated in the winter so an in-ground water feature gives interest the entire year. Whether it is filled with water or maybe it is has a dry creek bed, a water feature will add interest to your landscaping garden in the winter and year round as well. Goldfish will hibernate through the winter if given a depth of three feet to sustain them during the freezing time. It is also a good time to think about a lawn irrigation system.

Build a Structure

Gazebos, Benches, Arbors, Pergolas, Statues, Birdbaths, and Bridges are good to add a visual interest to your Winter landscape. A rock garden or large rock and boulders are also a good choice for the landscape.

Evergreen Tree or Bush

Most often, the evergreen is thought of as a pine and spruce tree. These mighty trees typically survive harsh drought conditions and then the cold winter conditions, adding deep greens to the urban areas. Another evergreen though (largely forgotten) the ivy. An Ivy plant can be trained to grow wherever you want it to flourish. The ivy provides great ground cover and green touch to a winter landscape.

Plants

Up to the 1st harsh freeze of the Winter season, an oak leaf hydrangea will usually be vibrant as part of your Winter landscape. The plant is not blooming any longer during the winter season; however, the stalks of the oak leaf hydrangea start to look like that of the paper bark from a maple tree giving the winter landscape a different look.

Planting Vegetables

Yes planting vegetables during the early parts of the winter months is possible outside and inside. Apparently, the best time broccoli, cauliflower, and beetroot is right before the first frost/freeze. This will allow Mother Nature to do her thing in nurturing the seeds for a good crop in early spring.