How to Create a Gorgeous Winter Garden

As many plants become dormant in the winter, your garden may seem and feel dull. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Winter gardens can be just as beautiful, architectural, and vibrant as those you could see in summer. The only thing you need is proper equipment, a green thumb, a will to be outside, and some creativity. So, instead of avoiding your garden, let’s create a winter wonderland you can enjoy all season long! Here are some of our greatest tips on how to create a gorgeous winter garden.

Have a seasonal cleanup

To create a clean canvas you can fill up with your winter garden ideas, you must focus on your seasonal cleanup.

Tidy up your shed, greenhouse, and equipment. Furthermore, clean up any mess that may have accumulated during the year. For example, you can throw away broken pots, prune your bushes and trees, wipe down dirty surfaces, and prepare for the next few steps. Once you’re done, you should be left with a clean space you can easily envision being transformed into a gorgeous winter garden.

Make a plan

The next step in creating the winter garden of your dreams is to envision what it would look like. Take a walk around it and note anything you want to change, improve or add to your garden.

Do you want a pop of color in that corner? Will that area be designated for the centerpiece, and what emotion do you want your garden to create? Write these ideas down, create tasks you can follow, and, if possible, create a timeline of how you want to organize these tasks. You may also create a list of items you need to buy for the rest of the steps. And, if you have plans for moving, you can already start making a plan for moving a garden to a new home. The only important thing is to get it there safely so you can enjoy a garden wherever you may go.

Finish those projects you’ve been dreaming of doing all year round

We know the winter season may seem like the time of year when you cannot focus on any outdoor projects, but this is not true. There are so many things you can do with your two hands and some equipment that will upgrade the look and feel of your winter garden.

Place a gazebo or some benches, create a pergola to make some cover, or even build raised beds for your special plants. Additionally, decor that can last all year long, such as beautiful garden sculptures, is always a good idea to spice up your space. Lastly, if you want to help out wildlife in need during winter while also making your garden look lively, you can build some birdhouses and wait for some lovely guests to make it a home.

Find evergreens that suit your preference

All year round, evergreen trees and shrubs give crucial structure to the garden, but winter is when they stand out. If you haven’t already considered their beauty, we advise you to give them a chance.

A fun and affordable way to start this project is to acquire different topiary. Grow them from cuttings or purchase fully grown ones you can trim in different shapes. These will add other focal points that will draw the eye to them. If that is not your thing, you can get evergreen shrubberies such as honeysuckle, Italian buckthorn, or Pittosporums. Explore the world of evergreens, and we are sure you’ll find something you like.

Grow some vegetables this winter season

If you’re one of those people that love to eat their home-grown veggies, winter can still prove to be fruitful and worth the effort. If you prepare ahead of time, you can have veggies to harvest all winter long, including leeks, yams, brussel sprouts, kale, cauliflower, beets, parsnips, purple sprouting broccoli, and winter cabbages. Additionally, if you want to prepare for future seasons, winter is perfect for planting vegetables like garlic and rhubarb. All of these can be quite easy to take care of, so you can even make it a family event to grow these together for upcoming feasts.

Acquire some winter flowers and flowering

Do not let your garden remain grayscale during this winter! You may not be aware of it, but there are different flowers and flowering to choose from and enjoy during winter. For example, you can pick winter irises, snowdrops, violas, cyclamen, primroses, and pansies. If you want to add not only color but smell, you can go for honeysuckle, which flowers in winter and forms beautiful white flowers that also smell amazing. When looking for more colors, do not neglect the beauty of various winter-flowering shrubs such as Kew Green, Golden Glory, and Gwenllian. All of these creatively combined will help you create a gorgeous winter garden full of color.

Add color with barks of all colors

However, not everyone is a fan of flowers. In such a case, you can choose to add color in different ways. One such way is to add trees with colorful barks, such as The Western Himalayan Silver Birch with white bark and Tibetan Cherry Tree with a red one. Some of these may bloom during other months, while their beautiful bark becomes the star of the show every winter. 

Add berries and ornamental grasses to spice it up

If you have adequate space, you can plant an edible hedge to add a little something to your winter garden. They also make excellent boundary plantings, offer wildlife habitat, and can yield different nuts and berries! It is important, however, to know which ones you should plant and how to take care of them. Additionally, to create a gorgeous winter garden with unique appeal, it is time to learn how to maintain ornamental grass. Once you do so, you’ll see how ornamental grasses retain their shape and sparkle when covered in frost. Make sure, though, to remove heavy snow from them, so it doesn’t break their stems.