Winter Planning
If you are one of those people that mourn the end of the gardening season, here’s some good news. Just because plants go dormant in winter, doesn’t mean that people have to do the same. Planning is such a very important part of winter. With the bones of the landscape exposed, you can see what’s out of balance and where you need to make some changes. You might want to add more structure to the garden either with hardscape or plants with structure and form. You want to make sure that if you can view that part of your landscape in the winter, that there is enough evergreen or winter interest such as berries, ornamental grasses, or beautiful branch structure. It’s a great time to take a step back and see if you are happy with your landscape. If not, now is the time to plan and then make adjustments in the spring.
In the winter you can see what sight lines you want to view and which you might want to screen with evergreens. Often times there are borrowed views of neighbor’s properties that are quite attractive but if not, you might consider creating your own little oasis as an escape from the world. In that case, you would want to create a screen with fencing or plant material so you can have your own privacy.
When people hire me in the winter to do a design, they are not competing with all the many phone calls, emails, and job sites to visit. They have my undivided attention to work on their design. I do get cabin fever for all the green leaves to start growing again and so I get the most inspired because I am so anxious for everything to come back to life.
What does your landscape need? Think about it now, don’t wait for spring so you are ready to go!