Winter Landscaping Ideas

Winter generally signifies snow and barren landscapes, where trees have lost their leaves and there are often no greens and blooms in the area. While this might sound boring and pretty drab, it is possible to change the tides and make your outdoors really beautiful and picturesque, even in winters. However, in order to achieve true beauty during these frosty months, it is important to plan and plant ahead. Here are some simple ideas, which when implemented with proper planning, will ensure that your outdoors is beautiful throughout the winter:

·         Evergreen trees: One of the most prominent and perfect ways to ensure a better and more beautiful outdoors during winter is through the presence of evergreen trees. These trees actually withstand the onslaught of the frosty months and provide the most important green color that looks extremely beautiful against the white backdrop of snow. In addition to providing beauty, these trees, when planted properly, can even block the winter winds, thus ensuring that you save on your heating bills.

·         Colorful berries, flowers and conifers: Another important ingredient of any winter landscaping is the colorful berry shrubs and conifers that you can plant. These will provide the necessary bright colors, including those like red and gold, which will enhance the beauty of the pristine environment. Additionally, when planting conifers, you can mix different shapes of cones, which will again add to the beauty of your outdoors. There are several kinds of floral bushes that thrive in the winter months, including those like poinsettias, Iceland poppies etc, from which you can take your pick to add color and vibrancy to the entire outdoor landscape. In addition, there are several others, which grow all year round, such as azaleas, proteas, acacias and camellias. Planning your winter garden well in advance by incorporating these in your regular landscaping will ensure that your garden is in full bloom when the frosty months come calling upon you.

·         Using snow to your advantage: If you live in a place where there is lots of snow, you can definitely use it to your advantage. While the ubiquitous snowman is definitely a possibility, you can actually add a touch of elegance and structure to make it a wonderful centerpiece of your outdoors. Creating snow sculptures of different types and shapes will definitely add to the beauty. Placing them at strategic points will also add to their allure. However, before indulging in these, it is important to plan your landscape and create shapes or structures accordingly that will suit your overall setting. Similarly, you can use ice to build ice castles or even ice globes that will help enhance the beauty of your outdoors. Adding color to the ice while the structure is being formed is yet another idea that can add a touch of color and brightness to your outdoors.

·         Lighting: The winter months are known for the beautiful Christmas lighting that most people use to decorate their homes as well as outdoors. Lights can be used to highlight a beautiful shrub or even a barren bark tree, making the outdoors sparkle and shine. The kind of lighting you use and the way in which you place it will depend on the kind of look you are seeking.

Landscaping ideas for winters are aplenty and all it needs is some ingenuity, creativity and planning and voila! You will have a beautiful garden that reflects your personality in its true sense. Therefore, use these tips as mentioned above to add some color and zing to your winter landscape irrespective of whether it’s bone-freezing cold or just a little chilly.