How to Improve The Colour of Your Garden During Winter

Do you like the colour of your garden during winter? Although we love our gardens, the truth is they look dull during this period of the year. Well, this is because not many plants produce or add colour to your winter garden during such cold months. However, we found that to solve this, all you have to do is plant various plants in good time. You’ll see that they produce pretty berries and flowers during this period, and they will be pretty fantastic in your garden!

But this is not all that you can do. Alternatively, you can choose those plants with brightly coloured and gorgeous stems and foliage. However, you should not expect them to bloom like they do in the months of summer and spring. Even so, it’s still possible to add some brightness and colour to your garden during winter which you can enjoy whilst sitting on your garden bench.

Organizing Your Garden During Winter

Creating an attractive winter garden requires a great deal of organisation. Here, you should remember that your garden in fall, summer and spring can just focus on foliage and flowers. However, the situation is different when it comes to winter. It needs suitable structure to remain attractive and captivating.

Keenly examine the plants that you wish to plant during spring and ensure that you go through all those that will give some excellent colour. Shrubs are fantastic when it comes to providing a glow to your garden. You’ll find that they produce beautiful berries. There are also trees that have a tremendous bark colour, especially when they don’t have leaves.

Ornament shrubs and trees also look awesome in your winter garden especially when planted next to the banana halfmoon teak garden chair. They are even a wise investment because they improve on the value of your property. It’s essential to remember that birds love berries. What does this mean? Well, birds are known for their pleasant ‘songs’, and they also add colour to your garden. Besides, they create an excellent appearance, making your winter garden even more vibrant.

You could also decide to use ornamental grasses. Pick those with long and slim stalks. These plants should offer some movement in your garden by swaying in the wind. You can let these grasses grow during winter but remove them as spring approaches to allow new ornamental herbs to grow and make the plants healthier and stronger.

Different Garden Designs That Suit Winter

There are various designs which you could choose to use in your winter garden. You’ll find that most of them heavily rely on the plants that you decide to use. So, it’s crucial to use those that can withstand the cold and harsh months of winter. Even so, many of us neglect our garden especially during this time of the year. We forget the importance of adding plants and other colourful garden designs.
Here are some of the most common landscaping designs to use in your winter garden:

Using Plants to Add Colour to Your Winter Garden

Cornus

It’s also referred to as Dogwood. It’s a plant which has beautiful branches. Do all Dogwood plants add colour to a garden? Well, not most of them, but the few which do add colour and ‘life’ in your garden.

You can plant many varieties of Cornus in your winter garden. However, the red twig is arguably the best to use. It’s a small kind of shrub that produces dark and red stems during this time of the year. You can also plant the yellow coloured twig varieties as they come with captivating yellow stems.

Ilex

Ilex has some bright green leaves which bring beauty to your garden, making these plants perfect for your winter garden. It’s advisable that you always plant female and male shrubs at one place. This helps them to produce more berries, further adding some exciting colour. The most famous Ilex plant varieties are Jersey Delight and Winter Gold. The Winter Gold has several yellow berries while the Jersey Delight produces red ones.

Helleborus

Here’s a beautiful and small plant that produces pretty flowers during winter. They grow above the evergreen leaves. You can plant their flowers throughout the year as they can grow in almost all climates. The most famous varieties include:

• Cream Flowers
• Pine Knot Strain Lenten with purple and lavender flowers
• Mardi Gras Bicolor Mix Lenten
• Winter’s bliss Lenten

Camellia Japonica

The Camellia Japonica is a shrub filled with great dark leaves. The leaves keep their colour across all seasons. A good thing about some of these species is their ability to blossom even in winter. The most popular shrub to grow is called Alba Pena. It can produce attractive flowers.
Another impressive variety is Bob Hope. Its beautiful magenta flowers will look fantastic.

Hamamelis

Also referred to as Witch Hazel and famous because of how it blossoms, its flowers can grow on bare twigs in winter. This makes the Hamamelis quite attractive, mainly if you use it in your winter hedge. Unlike other colourful winter plants, the Hamamelis has a pleasant scent, further adding another impressive note to your winter garden. It’s therefore advisable to plant it close to doorways.

Miscanthus

This exotic winter plant is famous for its white plumes. It is an ornamental grass that’s 5 feet tall and provides one of the most captivating sites during the cold months of winter. It rises above the thick snow blankets to give your garden the appeal that it needs!

Other Colourful Winter Design Gardening Options

Other than just using beautiful winter plants, you can also use DIY landscaping tips. These methods are cost-effective, secure and give your garden a lively feel during these cold months.

They include:

Creating a Winter Wonderland!

Here, you’ll only need to use evergreen twigs and colourful sprigs to make a winter wonderland in your gardening containers. Start by putting two-thirds of sand in the tank. The sand is significant because it provides enough support for the plant. Also, take a walk in your garden, collect dry stems and branches. Lastly, cut the stems and sink them in the sand. No watering is needed! Try placing a Lutyens bench to decorate your garden which also gives a pleasant appearance.

Using Evergreen Branches

These branches or colourful twigs change and empty a window box into a pretty winter scene. Visit your local landscape offices or experts to get the best evergreen branches. You’ll find a vast variety of these twigs, especially during winter.

Install a Bird Feeder

Even as the sharp winter winds blow and temperatures reach freezing point, the birds keep singing. They give your garden a lively feel during such a dull time. So, why not make life easier for them? Put a bird feeder and stock it with sunflower seeds. Through this, you’ll keep the birds singing ‘happy tunes’ throughout winter.

The Amount of Light

Twinkling snow and good sunlight are an essential combination always. Using exterior lighting during winter is enjoyable especially during the night. You can use it to decorate shrubs, trees or container gardens.

Using Colourful Twigs

Redtwig dogwood is a unique winter landscaping plant to use. You can keep it looking amazing by pruning almost one-third of the canes every year. Cut off the old canes and keep the younger ones for their intense colouration.

Flowers That Prosper In Winter

Colourful winter flowers!

Winter flowers add a splash of colour to your garden just when you require them most. You can plant a variety – English daisies, snapdragons, and cherry pansies. They’ll fill your containers with attractive flowers and over winter giving you amazing ‘flower power’.

If you choose to improve the colour of your garden during winter, it’s essential to learn about the different varieties. Below is a simple list of the ten most amazing flowers to grow during winter:

1. Candytuft

They grow 8 inches high and 12 inches wide. They are narrow, shiny and look great in all seasons. The best varieties include Alexander’s White, Autumnal, or Autumn Snow. These flowers bloom in both fall and spring. They need well-drained soil and shearing after they thrive to stimulate the growth of new flowers.

2. Cineraria

This types of winter flowers create an intense colour even in those dark corners of your garden. They grow up to two feet high and have wide daisies which come in purple, pink, red and blue colours. They require the right shade and regular water with rich and loose soil.

3. Cyclamen

These flowers look like butterflies or shooting stars. They appear in shades of pink, white, and red. Although a majority of people view them as the best flowers to grow in containers, they also make fantastic bedding plants.

You can use the smaller and tougher plants for outdoor use. You’ll need to give them ample shade by keeping them hidden from direct sun rays. Lastly, remember to water them regularly.

4. English Daisy

Perky, plump English daisies are some of the excellent edging plants that you’ll come across. Just add a few to your winter garden and get a fantastic array of colours. The dark green leaves are one to two inches long. They also create rosettes of around 8 inches in width. However, the rose, red, white and pink flowers grow up to 6 inches!

If you decide to plant them in your winter garden, you’ll need to observe two crucial factors. Water them regularly and expose them to favourable amounts of shade especially during hot climatic conditions.

5. Erica

The plants of the Erica flowers are not taller than 6 inches. However, they can rise to 10 feet when properly grown. They need extra drainage and good acidic soil. You can even use sandy soil mixed with organic matter!

Water continuously as they tend to dry up once left neglected. Cut off or shear faded spikes of flowers but take care not to prune up to bare wood as new flowers may not appear.

6. Hellebores

The flowers of hellebores are perfect for both spring and winter. They are shaped into bells or cups. They may face outwards or simply droop. They come in different colours such as green, white, pink and red. You should plant them using the right amount of organic matter and in well-drained soils.

7. Iceland Poppy

These flowers come with tall stems but with no leaves. You’ll find that they love ‘dancing’ in the breeze and grow well once planted with other cold-season plants. They can reach almost 2 feet, producing pink, orange, salmon, rose, yellow or white flowers. They need enough sun and constant watering.

8. The English Primrose

Most primroses bloom during summer or spring. However, you can also plant the English primrose in your winter garden. They produce different colours and grow up to twelve inches high and nine inches wide. Just like other flowers in this list, constant watering is also necessary.

9. Snapdragon

Snapdragon blooms perfectly in both winter and mild-winter climates, and it comes in different colours. You’ll find that some are having double flowers, bell shapes and even bloom like the Azaleas. For them to grow correctly, expose them to lots of sunlight and constantly water them.

10. Stock

This is one of the old-fashioned breeds of flowers which comes with narrow green and grey leaves. You can plant different varieties of these as they come in various such as pink, red, white, blue, cream and lavender. They are almost three feet tall and ten to sixteen inches wide. If you opt to use them in your garden during these cold months, remember that they’ll need good soil drainage. It’s even advisable to plant them in raised garden beds.

Conclusion

Winter is coming, and we need to colour our gardens in the best way possible. Using the information above, you can easily choose the right plants and flowers to use. Make sure that what you decide to grow fits perfectly into your environment. A good example is planting some winter Lilies next to the Sandhurst teak memorial bench!

Creativity is an essential tool to use as you try to boost the appearance of your winter garden. So, what other colourful landscaping design ideas do you have in mind?

Anna Sharples

Anna is the marketing and office manager for Garden Benches – a premium supplier of high-quality wooden benches and other outdoor furniture.