Just because the leaves have all fallen off and the flowers have died, it doesn’t mean your lawn should be a bleak, brown, barren piece of land though the winter. There is plenty that you can do before and during the winter season to ensure that your lawn continues to be attractive, even when Mother Nature is doing her best to make it hard for you.
Seasonal Hardscaping – Adding a well-decorated trellis, bench, or arbor will draw eyes away from the ground. A trellis with lights and evergreen boughs weaved throughout will create an attractive piece, and will also catch snow when it falls for added effect. These are great to position over walkways. Benches, especially painted bright colors or being used as a table for colorful potted plants, will also draw the eye. Part of hardscaping is seeing how lights and shadows fall across your property, and adjusting lighting for maximum emphasis on what you want to see.
Trees – Certain trees have bark that comes into its own during the winter months. The mottled, peeling bark of birch trees is always attractive, while dogwoods such as the red twig and red ossier dogwoods tend to have attractive, darker bark as well as sometimes having late-season berries. Evergreen trees such as firs will retain their needles through the winter months. The eastern hemlock works as both a tree and a shrub, depending on the strain.
Create Color – Possibly the easiest way to liven up the lawn in winter, simply adding strategic color in places around the lawn, through the use of pot with plants in them, garden furniture or other decorations, will improve the color palette. Add some purple patio chairs, blue pots with hardy plants in them, or bright yellow bird feeders. A few simple, colorful spots around the yard can brighten it up.
Shrubs and Berries – Plenty of shrubs fall into the evergreen category but display it differently than the long-needled trees. Christmas hollies have always been a great representative of the season, and are the plant that comes to mind when talking about winter shrubs. The green, waxy leaves and red berries consistently but on a colorful display, and the shrub is great for catching and displaying snow. The American cranberry bush is another one that goes late into the year and into the winter, with red berries and purplish foliage. Winterberry holly, unlike Christmas holly, is deciduous and loses its leaves in the winter. However, it displays bright red berries, great for display as well as attracting birds.
So don’t let your lawn lag in the winter time. It can be a year-round attraction, you just need to have the right pieces in place.
