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Topic: Hardscaping



Date Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Posted by: Tanya Zanfa (Master Admin)
Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/column/Gearing-u...


Gearing up for winter


Gearing up for winter

Fall is the time for putting the garden to bed for the winter, but for those of us facing several months of winter, a different approach is in order.

Just because nothing is growing out there doesn’t mean there’s no source of pleasure in our winter yards. In fact, October is the time to get very serious about the winter garden.

When the leaves depart, the "bones of the garden" emerge — trees, shrubs, and hardscaping. A yard with good bones will have good staying power throughout the year. Given our six-month-long winter, good bones are essential for all of our yards.

There is still time to plant trees and shrubs so shortcomings can be fixed. But there’s nothing wrong with waiting until spring so you have ample time to consider the decision. Trees, shrubs, and hardscaping are in the "get it right the first time" group.

Good bones are all about groupings and composition. For example:  an arc of small spireas around a topgrafted blue spruce; a low brick wall with a large mugo pine on the inside and a row of oat grass on the outside; a mass planting of juniper adjacent to a low deck. Good bones will appear as groupings; bones that need improvement will appear as floaters: a tree here, a shrub there, a low wall over there. Add more shrubs to create a mass planting around the isolated tree or shrub. Add some shrubs or ornamental grasses to the low wall.

Even in yards with good bones, the prospect of six months of winter calls for enhancement. 
Let the seedheads remain and enjoy them throughout the winter. They’ll collect snow, offer colour and texture contrast, provide an interesting source of shadows, and help animate the yard by attracting birds.

Keep those winter-resistant pots outside and get some plants for them! This is the time and place for evergreens. Two large pots sporting globe cedars or small spruce will frame the front door. A grouping of three different sized pots will beef up a bed that needs some interest. Fill them with dogwood, willow, or birch branches to add colour and texture. Or plant them with junipers. All will celebrate every snowfall that comes their way.  

This is my final column for this season. Thank you for the inquiries and positive comments. May your winter garden provide you with many hours of pleasure!

 



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