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Photo by : Jon Naustdalslid / Shutterstock .
For those who mourn the slowing down of the gardening time of year , here ’s some serious news : plant life may go dormant in wintertime , but people do n’t have to . With fewer tending - grab chores , wintertime is the stark clock time to revisit existing designs and reconsider works palettes . sure landscaping projects are in reality well become to the off calendar month and there are definite advantage to getting an early start in winter .
ADVANTAGES TO PLANNING IN WINTER
See clearly:
The bones of the garden are give away in winter , allowing you to easily see what ’s out of balance and where you might require to tally in anatomical structure or visual texture , whether in the human body of plants or hardscaping . Rosalia Sanni , a Connecticut - based landscape designer , like to design in winter because sightlines are exposed when plants and trees have lose their leaves . She can make quick judgment of which sightlines to keep cleared , which views to incorporate or adopt , and which ones to hinder .
Don’t compete:
Sanni also say that hiring a designer in wintertime means you ’re not contend with high - time of year demand such as instalment supervision . “ Any customer who has me contrive in winter has my exclusive attention . ”
Beat the rush:
Get orders take up for long lead - time items , such as outside kitchen appliances or specialization items . Do n’t let long delivery metre in spring push your task off track ; parliamentary law early and keep your labor running on time .
Avoid delays:
urban center or municipal bureau are less potential to be bogged down with plan approvals in winter . Use this time to get a jumping on any necessary permits to quash start - up delays .
FIND FRESH IDEAS
Read up:
frigid winter day are the perfect clock time to catch up ongardening and design booksand magazines . There are so many sources for raw ideas , but one of our deary is The Gardener ’s Idea Book . you’re able to request aprinted copyorview it online . It ’s full of great selective information , foundation to raw plants , and is updated each year . you may also witness step - by - step on-line instructions for featured DIY projects .
Catch up:
Get catch up on all the latesttrends in garden design . Get inspired to try something new !
Get out:
Steve Gierke , of Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects , like toventure out to local botanic garden and arboretumsto see how characteristics like bark texture and habit have turned summer wallflower into winter mantrap . Or , you do n’t even have to stake that far . Take a base on balls around the block and see what your neighbors ’ 1000 are look like . Are there varieties you might want to let in in your garden to add winter involvement ?
GET DESIGNING
wood anemone come up early on in the season . picture by : Abramova Kseniya / Shutterstock .
Design with winter in mind:
protect your landscape from winter damage can begin in the design process . If you ’re in an country that gets nose candy , make indisputable you have quad to pile it up . Keep landscaping and obstacles away from surface area that need to be plowed . Know which direction cold winter winds bollix and plan an evergreen hedge or fence to leave a wind breaking . Become familiar with different sun patterns — know if your best-loved Sunday - loving plant life might actually be in the shade all winter .
Evaluate winter color:
There ’s nothing like winter - bloom plants to lift your look during the colder month . Shrubs such aswitch hazelandhoneysuckleoffer color and fragrance at a time when you demand it most . Early light bulb includingsnowdrops , crocusandhelleboreswill even pop up through a shallow cover version of Charles Percy Snow , gift you hope that spring is n’t too far away . ( See morewinter - bloom plants . )
Create four-season interest:
Use winter as a clip to resolve where you might add woody plants that can provide structure and pursuit all year . In modest mood , plants with contrasting tallness , colors , and shapes add interestingness throughout wintertime . Add height with vertical shrubs likeSky Box ® Japanese holly orSting ™ arborvitae ; or rounded shapes withGem Box ® inkberry holly orTater Tot ® arborvitae . ( Learn more : How to Create Winter Interest in the Garden . )
Review photos:
Take a look through garden picture ingest throughout the year to cue yourself of gardening successes or failures . Make note of possible betterment , additions , or deletion you ’d like to enforce in the upcoming time of year .
PLANNING AHEAD—WHAT TO DO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Take pictures:
Build a exposure gallery of monthly photos of your garden . Be sure to admit the good , the defective , and the ugly for insights when doing your wintertime planning next year .
Keep a garden journal:
admit monthly notes in agarden journalof what act , what did n’t , when plants sprouted or bloomed , and maintenance done .
Thanks to the follow room decorator :
Rosalia Sannirosaliasanni.com
