Landscape design isn’t normally on everyone’s minds in the winter, but we’ve compiled some creative ideas for outdoor design to brighten up those bleak midwinter days. Whether you’re looking for some temporary additions to change things up for the season, or some permanent winter landscaping plants to add year-round greenery, we’ve got plenty of ideas for winter design inspiration. As always, if you’re looking for some extra hands to help bring your winter landscape design to life, our winter landscaping services can assist you through the planning and execution process to beautify your property before the holidays.
4 Permanent Winter Landscape Design Ideas
Introduce gorgeous winter color into your yard using landscaping plants with these creative ideas.
Plant Dogwood With Colorful Bark
Dogwood is a hardy flowering shrub that has gorgeous flowers during the warmer months, but some varieties have brilliantly colored bark. Tatarian Dogwood has vibrant red wood that’s fabulously festive, popping out among the white winter scenery beautifully. Winter Flame Dogwood is a particularly eye-catching variety, with fiery orange wood that practically glows. We guarantee your dogwood shrubs will become a favorite addition to your landscape, as they deliver color and texture every day of the year. If you need help getting them into the ground, don’t hesitate to contact our St John landscaping services or landscaping in Frankfort so we can help you safely transplant your new shrubs.
Place Miniature Conifers In Containers
If you aren’t ready to commit to planting full evergreen trees into your landscape, or if there are pipes or power lines on your property that prevent you from tree planting, you can still enjoy gorgeous conifers through the winter by planting compact, dwarf varieties in ornamental containers. This way, you have the freedom to move them around your property whenever the mood strikes. Juniper ‘Blue Star’ is a gorgeous mini juniper with icy blue needles that reach up to a modest 2 feet tall. Or, you could try sprucing up your landscape (pun intended) with a Bird’s Nest Spruce, which reaches up to 3 feet tall.
Plant Berry-Bearing Shrubs
Wouldn’t it be lovely to deck the halls with boughs of holly picked right from your backyard? Berry-bearing shrubs are excellent additions to a garden design for winter interest. Not only do the bright berries add a pop of color, but they also attract beautiful birds and other wildlife foraging for food.
Add Some Hardy Ornamental Grasses
Tall ornamental grasses with their delicate, wispy plumes add a little bit of whimsy to the landscape as they sway in the breeze. Their colors transition throughout the year from spring until winter, creating an ever-changing landscape that’s never lacking in appeal. Blue fescue, tufted hairgrass, and blue oat grass are all lovely options that never fail to impress when integrated into a winter landscape design.
4 Seasonal Winter Landscape Design Ideas
If you’re a creative type who loves conjuring up exciting ideas and experimenting with innovative landscape design projects, you’ll get a kick out of these fun new ideas we’re eager to try this winter.
Repurpose Vintage Skis, Snowshoes, and Sleds
Search around online or in an antique store to see if you can find a kitschy pair of wooden skis, snowshoes, or a vintage sled. Fasten the skis or snowshoes together so they’re crisscrossed, then weave some winter greenery around them and hang them up near the front entrance, or up against the garage door. You can find some DIY tutorials and inspiration online to help you get the layout just right. A vintage sled with evergreen garland woven through looks so cute propped up against the house on the front patio. Something about that classic, vintage aesthetic is so perfect for Christmas decor. Try to think of some other fun ideas for upcycling vintage pieces for your landscape design—we’re all for reducing waste and giving new life to once-loved items!
Painted Branch Displays
Filling winter urns with decorative branches isn’t exactly a new idea, but to put a new spin on this classic holiday landscape decor, we suggest coating the branches with metallic spray paint. Gold, silver, and pearl-white are all suitable for an elegant holiday color palette, but you could even try a trendy rose gold paint for a modern, feminine touch. Coating just two or three of the branches with a bit of extra glitter adds a little touch of opulence without veering into gaudy territory.
Holiday Hanging Wire Baskets
In summer, we typically line wire baskets with burlap or peat to keep our annuals flowers contained, but for winter, we love the idea of letting all that beautiful evergreen foliage spill out from the basket in an elegant canopy. If arranging wintergreens isn’t something you have a ton of experience with, stay tuned for our upcoming blog on fresh-cut greenery arrangements! We’ll have plenty of ideas and inspiration to help you craft perfect holiday outdoor baskets and other festive displays.
Wreath Chandeliers
Wreaths are the quintessential outdoor holiday decor item, but by simply hanging them differently, you can create something innovative and eye-catching. Instead of tacking your wreath onto your door, use some rope to suspend it horizontally from the roof so it hovers like a halo. It looks particularly lovely if you’ve got a shaggier wreath with fresh-cut greens that gracefully drape downward.
Have any winter landscape design ideas of your own that you’d like help putting together? Visit one of our locations in St. John, IN, or Frankfort, IL, and our experts will help you bring your ideas to life.