Tips For Designing Your Outdoor Space For Winter Appeal
Contrary to popular opinion, your outdoor space can be just as beautiful and lively in the winter as it is in the spring, summer and fall! Here are some tips on how to use proper plant selection, stonework, unique structures, and complementary lighting for designing your outdoor space for optimal winter appeal:
Proper plant selection
The most important part of designing your outdoor space for winter appeal is choosing plants that look their best during the winter months. Choosing a few plants from each of these categories will help you create your desired winter look.
Winter blooming plants:
- Lobelia
- Pansy
- Snapdragon
- Primrose
- Winter jasmine
Lobelia
Pansy
Snapdragon
Primrose
Evergreen trees and shrubs:
- Azaleas
- Mountain laurel
- Blue spruce
- Japanese yew
Azaleas
Mountain Laurel
Blue Spruce
Japanese Yew
Plants with attractive bark and berries:
- Paperbark maple
- Hollies
- Paper birch
- Red twig dogwood
Paperback Maple
Holly
Paper Birch
Red Twig Dogwood
Herbaceous perennials:
While these plants are no longer in their peak warm-season blooming period, their dried out forms can achieve a niche yet charming style that may add to the appeal of your outdoor space in the winter months…
- Coneflower
- Yarrow
- Salvia
- Peonies
- Daylily
Coneflower
Yarrow
Salvia
Peonies
Incorporating stonework
Apart from the plants, another prominent garden feature that can help your winter outdoor space leave a lasting impression is stonework. Here are hardscape features that can play a functional role, as well as provide an aesthetic appeal in your outdoor space this winter:
- Retaining walls
- Garden steps
- Patios
Unique garden structures
Another way to add appeal to your outdoor space this winter is to include some unique garden structures into your design. Adding these structures can also help shape the space of your outdoor space. Some great examples of such garden structures include:
- Gazebos
- Fences
- Sheds
- Pergolas
- Arbors
Lighting
Adding lighting to your landscape design is a great way to make your outdoor space more noticeable and attractive, as well as a great way to increase the nighttime safety of your property (which can be especially beneficial when your lawn begins to frost over). Here are some great examples of ways to add lighting to your outdoor space:
- Overhead string lights
- Uplighting for trees and other features
- Lights for garden steps and railings
