Kitchen Remodeling: Working It into Every Budget

In colder regions, winter landscapes often conjure visions of barren yards and a real lack of color. However, it doesn't have to be that way. Although you won't get the dazzling colors of spring and summer, certain plants and trees can help add a bit of warmth and beauty during the colder months. Here are some tips to help your landscape get the most out of winter and look its best.

Four-Season Perennials Provide Beauty All Year Round

Many perennials feature evergreen foliage, and that's a big plus for those looking to add some color to their landscape in the winter. Hellebores, winter daphne, dianthus, and certain ornamental grasses hold on to their green when not much else is will. Also consider a Viola Tricolor for your garden, as this flower blooms in fall and can sometimes even hang on to its flower in the wintertime. Rosa rugosa is another wintertime treat, and features large hips that almost look like tomatoes. These beauties will add a bright spot to your garden all winter long.

Don't Forget Evergreens

Evergreens go great in a winter landscape for obvious reasons. They serve as an excellent focal point to base areas of your landscape around, and of course they keep their color all winter long. You don't have to settle for evergreens that are entirely green either. Dwarf blue spruce produces a lovely blue hue while Gold Thread False Cyprus provides a soft yellow. Choose an evergreen that fits your taste and you'll be thankful for these noble beauties when winter rolls around.

Berries Galore

Certain trees and shrubs don't lose their berries in the colder months of the year, giving you an extra splash of color in your landscape and even providing a source of food for birds that overwinter in your region. A holly with red berries is a great way to add some cheer to your yard. You can also consider a crabapple tree, which holds on to its apple fruits even in the depth of winter.

Staghorn sumac is an extremely hardy shrub that produces large clusters of red berries that survive throughout the winter, and robins and other birds love to eat them. Eastern red cedar is an evergreen tree and also produces plenty of green berries that hang on in winter as well, adding a subtle splash of green even when other plants have already died.

Ultimately, winter landscaping provides plenty of options if you know what plants to look for. Speak with a local landscaper (such as Alpine Rock and Block) or store about what plants look great in the winter, and you can expand on the ideas above.