Landscape Companies Share Tips to Create a Garden with Year Round Appeal
Most people would consider gardening a spring and summer hobby. As the nights get colder, plants start to die off or go dormant. Many gardens start to look gray and dreary over the winter, but they don’t have to. With a little planning and some great design elements by landscaping companies in the Bay Area, your garden can have a personality all year long.
Use Foliage That Look Great in Winter
Evergreens add drama to your garden in the summer, but even in harsh conditions, they can add color during the winter. The weeping Norway spruce keeps its leaves in the cold. Blue Ice bog rosemary blooms in the early spring and remains green through the winter. Many native plants can more easily survive the cold temperatures even if they do go dormant.
Relish in Your Winter Garden
Your garden may appear dormant through the winter, but there’s a lot going on under the surface. The leaves that fell on top of the soil are composting and enriching the soil. Some insects may be using your trees to hibernate through the cold. Birds may be rummaging in the soil for bugs and seeds. Some bulbs require a cold dormancy period to fully bloom the next season.
Invest in Hardscaping Elements
An outdoor kitchen or fire pit can be enjoyed all year long while taking up space in your garden that you don’t need to water or mow. Landscape companies in the Bay Area have great ideas to add manmade structures that add to your enjoyment of your back yard as well as adding personality and function. If you want more entertaining space, instead of building onto your home, think about using your garden as an extension of your home through hardscaping.
Use Winter to Prepare for Spring Gardening
Although you should still water your winter plants and do weeding, your garden won’t take as much time in the winter as it does in the spring and summer. Use your time to get ready for spring. Read your favorite gardening magazines. Buy seeds and get your spring and summer plants started in January or February to be ready for planting. Check out landscape ideas that you can implement when the weather turns better. Sharpen your tools and inspect your equipment to be ready when the soil is soft again. Talk to your landscape company about replacing plants that aren’t thriving with new ones that do better in your garden.
Professional Landscape Design in the Bay Area by Viking Pavers
Use the off-season for gardens to plan the next stages of your yard. Looking for ideas for your landscape design in the Bay Area? Viking Pavers can help transform your patio and garden into a living space that fits your style. Contact us for more information about how we can make your yard an extension of your home.
