RENOVATING YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE

How to Create an Impressive Winter Garden

Create a Variety of Lines

Begin with a strong foundation, incorporating elements of varied shapes, sizes, textures, colours and density.  A flowerbed, while vivid in spring and summer, will appear vacant and flat when covered by snow. 

Consider your space in every direction; vertical forms of various heights and shapes are eye-catching, create interesting shapes and lines in your outdoor space, and provide a more interesting structure for snow to emboss.

Long vertical lines also highlight your natural plants and bushes, providing an interesting visual contrast when placed next to each other. Vertical lines can be created in the form of trees, fence posts, pergola or bridge posts, or outdoor sculpture.

Use What You’ve Got

Fixed and previously installed elements can form a solid base for a winter garden design.

  Pergolas, gazebos, bridges, stone or brick walls, gates, and fences all provide geometric structure and can create dramatic effects when paired with a variety of natural forms. 

Even weather-tolerant furniture or benches can look interesting under a blanket of snow.

 

Look for Fall Plants with Colour and Texture

Make use of a variety of plants, trees and bushes to showcase different elements in your space. 

Check out your local nurseries to investigate the different options for late summer and fall gardening options.  Consider when your plants and trees bloom or show colour; think about using an interesting combination of evergreens and coniferous trees, deciduous trees and shrubs, and annuals and perennials to offer year-round visual variety in terms of colour, texture, and foliage

 

Strategic Lighting

Strategically placed lighting can create amazing atmosphere in the winter months. 

With the days growing shorter, lighting your outdoor space can make it magical and more enjoyable in the colder months.  Mini-lights can light up gazebos, pergolas, and bridges. 

Spotlights can showcase trees and larger objects, while path lighting can look beautiful against the white snow. 

Solar-powered lights are less effective in the winter months, so electrical lighting is a more appropriate option.

 

Install Outdoor art

Stack, build, and transform natural objects into minimalist sculptures.  In Western Canada, INUKSHUKS are a popular form of outdoor sculpture and reference our country`s roots. 

Fill empty planters and baskets with twigs, branches, evergreen boughs, pinecones, and rocks to create beautiful outdoor centerpieces. 

Investing in outdoor art such as large-scale metal sculpture or stonework can add elegant or interesting forms to your space; check out the Geert Maas Sculpture Garden in Kelowna, British Columbia or go to the artist`s website at  www.geertmaas.org.

 

Promote Wildlife

Encouraging native animals to nest or visit your outdoor space will make it feel alive. Footprints will dot the snow and can be entertaining when there isn't as much going on outside in the winter.

Birds will flock around hanging suet feeders and make homes in nearby birdhouses. 

Birdhouses can look beautiful when coated with a layer of snow; when placed on posts or on structures at varying heights, they add visual interest in your outdoor space. 

 

 

You may also be interested in the following:

Xeriscape Gardening; How to conserve water and create a beautiful, low maintenance garden.