As Winter arrives, bringing colder and shorter days, it's tempting to ignore your garden until Spring. However, with the rise of bi-fold and Crittall doors, our gardens remain visible throughout the year. There are many ways to add interest to your Winter garden. Here are a few ideas.
Interesting bark and stem shapes
Multi stem Betula in my E9 Romantic Garden Betula jacquemonti (Silver Birch) and Betula nigra (River Birch) offer wonderful texture and color during the winter months. Multi-stem trees also create an intriguing framework, adding structure to your winter garden.
Winter Flowering Shrubs
Viburnum tinus flowering in my N5 Secluded Family Garden
Shrubs such as Viburnum tinus, Skimmia confusa, and Viburnum bodnatense are ideal for winter, offering eye-catching white or pink flowers, which are occasionally very fragrant, to draw in pollinators during this season.
Sculptural/Ornamental Focal Points
Mirror, Corten Decorative Screen and Betula in my E8 Urban Sanctuary Garden Incorporating a mirror, sculpture, or decorative screen can create structure and focal points in the Winter garden, becoming visible when most plants have receded for the season.
Colourful foliage
Colourful Winter foliage in my N5 Secluded Family Garden Select plants that offer vibrant Autumn and Winter foliage to ensure striking color combinations even after the flowers have faded.
Winter flowering Jasmine offers a burst of vibrant yellow flowers, while Clematis armandii produces an abundance of white or pink almond-scented blooms in late winter to early spring.
Colourful Stems
Colourful stems of Cornus sanguinea in my E11 Woodland Garden The vibrant stems of Cornus or Salix (Willow) create a bold impression in the winter garden. Be sure to hard prune them in late February or March to maintain strong stem color in the future.
Winter flowering perennials
Hellebores in my E11 Naturalistic Planting Design Hellebores add vibrant color and strength to the winter garden when few other flowers are present.
Colourful Hedging
Fagus sylvatica purpurea (Purple Beech Hedging) in my N12 Edwardian Front Garden Beech and Carpinus (Hornbeam) hedges take on a golden copper hue in the winter and retain many of their leaves, providing effective screening throughout the year. Photinia 'Red Robin' is an evergreen hedge featuring red or pink edges.
Use of Evergreens
Evergreen Winter structure in my N12 Dog Friendly Garden Aim to plant the highest possible percentage of evergreens to maintain structure and color during winter.
Winter Bulbs
Galanthus nivalis (snowdrops) in my N16 Into the Woodland Garden Bulbs like snowdrops and crocuses are the first to appear early in the year.
So embrace the beauty of your Winter garden. It has so much to offer.
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