Four Seasons of Interest in the Garden

When most of us envision a beautiful garden we often think of a warm summer day, where there are abundant drifts of flowers in a rainbow of colors everywhere we look. However, maintaining that visual beauty and interest throughout the year can be more challenging if our gardens are heavily planted with warm season flowering plants. In order to ensure four seasons of interest a garden needs to be balanced with a variety of plants that vary in there season of interest.

Autumn in the garden reminds of us that the season is winding down but there is still plenty of interest to be had. Asters, anemone and ornamental grasses are blooming and stealing the show. Many shrubs and deciduous trees are changing and displaying blazing fall color. Incorporating these elements extends our garden season and maintains that visual interest.

Winter is the dormancy period in the garden but having a mix of evergreens and berry producing shrubs will provide an immense impact to what could be a barren space. Plant evergreen shrubs with different foliage color and texture and use different shapes to provide more interest and variety. Deciduous shrubs also provide structure in the winter garden even without their leaves. Red and yellow twig dogwoods are stunning when they are peaking up through new snow cover. Having these elements ensures outdoor beauty during those winter months.

Spring is when things in the garden begin to wake up. The appearance of crocus and daffodils are a welcome sight after a the quiet of winter. Planting bulbs each Fall is a great way to ensure that early season interest. Spring shrubs like forsythia and lilac are fantastic flowering plants as are blooming trees such as magnolia and dogwood. Incorporating those early blooming plants is a fantastic way to get a jump start on the garden season.

A garden is a living thing and although it ebbs and flows with the seasons it should be beautiful and visually stimulating all year round. Planting for all the seasons will make your garden feel more natural and complete, creating a welcoming space throughout the entire year.