Landscapers want to build gardens that bring joy to their owners, but the UK climate limits the amount of joy to be had outdoors in winter. In this article, we’re looking at tricks for designing gardens with lots of winter interest.

The My Garden Design team totally understand that landscaping with winter interest in mind can be a challenge. Which is why, presenting potential clients with a garden design that promises the added value of an all year round garden, is something that could give any landscaper a competitive edge.

Giving people a reason to go outdoors in winter

Wellbeing

This year (2020) has really highlighted the role that our outdoor spaces play in wellbeing. Even the tiniest balcony can become a refuge, a place of contemplation and somewhere to escape to from tension.

At the time of writing, Boris has just announced that we can expect COVID restrictions to last for a while longer. Which means that gardens with winter interest will become more valuable than ever.

The winter garden needs to appeal to all of the senses. Visually beautiful (of course!) but also a place of comfort and security.

Between December and February, it’s probably only hardworking landscapers and gardeners who actually want to spend any length of time in gardens. So put yourself in the householders’ shoes and think what the garden design could include to encourage people to linger outdoors.

A great fire pit offers all-year-round value. Amazing how a live flame can soothe a troubled soul and help improve mental health, particularly in winter.

Warmth

The key to winter comfort in the UK is warmth. Even when the sun is shining brightly enough to entice anyone outdoors, it doesn’t take long for noses to turn red and fingers to freeze.

Something as simple as a pizza oven or a fire pit can generate a lot of heat in a very short time. These of course can be used all year round. As can a barbecue. I barbecue all year round with the help of a meat thermometer which connects to an app on my phone. If it gets too chilly to stand around, the app lets me know when my dinner is nearly ready.  Check it out here.

Create a sheltered spot in the garden will give the owners somewhere away from cold winds and prying eyes that could potentially be heated. If the budget doesn’t stretch to a building, how about a timber structure draped with evergreen climbing plants?

Light

Nearly everybody I know is automatically drawn to light on a dull winter’s day. Think how inviting your home seems when you pull into the driveway and see light shining out through the windows. So for me, designing gardens with winter interest always involves some sort of lighting.

Having outdoor lights that can be operated from the house, or from an app, means that the garden can be made to feel inviting in almost any weather.  Pop a light into a sheltered seating area to create somewhere for reading, working or contemplating. Illuminate a winding pathway to create intrigue. Highlight plants and decorative features. Or why not go the whole hog and create a twinkling winter wonderland?

While we’re talking about lighting – have you thought about using mirrors to bounce natural light around the garden? It’s a cost-effective way of deceiving the eye into thinking a space is bigger and brighter than it really is.

A simple mirror can be used in many ways. In this case, it will add an extra dimension to the planting and reflect the twinkling lights that the client plans to install herself

 

Create the feeling of extra space indoors

Sometimes it’s nice to cosy up indoors with the curtains drawn on a winters evening. But if you’re working from home due to COVID restrictions, and the whole family is stuck inside, even a generously proportioned room can start to feel claustrophobic. That’s when the view from your window can make an enormous difference to your psyche.

Did you know that Doctors feel that hospital patients with a view over green spaces recover quicker than those who look at bare walls? Gardens do us the world of good – even when we’re not actually in them.

The art of designing gardens with winter interest puts quite a lot of emphasis on the view from inside the house. And that includes every window and door in the house. The vista that greets you through your bedroom when you first wake up, is just as important as what you can see from the sofa in the lounge.

Careful garden design makes the garden feel like an extension to the house, even when doors and windows are closed. And if your garden can make your home feel bigger – then it’s offering fantastic value all year round.

Planting for winter interest

The hard landscaping in your garden design is crucial for winter interest. The layout of paths, patios, structures etc creates wonderful shapes and shadows. But finding plants that work hard in the wintertime can be quite a challenge.

Garden centres are stuffed full of plants for spring, summer and autumn colour. The choice for interesting winter plants, however, becomes more limited. Asking a horticulturist for a winter planting plan is a great way to discover inspirational ideas.

There are of course the evergreen shrubs to provide height, shape and shelter. But what about making the most of coloured stems? Bare trees look amazing! Especially when covered in haw frost and lit from below. Then there are the grasses and don’t forget seed heads on things like teasels. You can also experiment with different foliage colours and textures. Silvery-leaved Stachys is fabulous all year round but offers especially good value in wintertime.

Underplant with swathes of spring-flowering bulbs. Snowdrops and hardy cyclamen bring early colour. Nipping outdoors every day just to see if the buds have opened out is a good way to get a breath of fresh air.

My favourite winter plant, however, isn’t particularly spectacular to look at. In fact, for most of the year, it blends into the background. In winter though, the best way to appreciate the charm of Calycanthus praecox aka Wintersweet is to go outside and inhale deeply. This is a winter flowering plant that smells absolutely divine. Plant one near to a seating area and no one will be able to resist tarrying awhile.

Wintersweet has beautiful flowers that fill the air with scent on the coldest of winter days

Winterproofing your garden design

One of the things that the My Garden Design team take seriously is safety in the garden. If space is to be used in wintertime we’ll aim to suggest slip-resistant surfaces. We’ll think too about hand grips beside paths or steps…….perhaps a strategically placed tree or an attractive planter that can be grabbed for extra support if needed. If our client brief mentions the need for wheelchair access, these features will be even more important to us.

Of course, usability isn’t our garden designers’ only concern. If the landscaping works are planned for the winter season, we’ll try to think about products and features that can reasonably be built in most weathers. That way, the landscaper is less likely to lose too many days to weather-related delays.

Designing gardens to bring winter joy

As a landscaper myself, I know only too well that most householders are thinking very much about summer when they ask for a garden makeover. However, it can’t hurt to encourage people to imagine how they could use their garden in winter too. Especially since climate change is bringing us milder winters.

Having an all year round garden really does ensure the best possible return on investment for a landscaping project. The qualified garden designers at My Garden Design certainly know how to create a layout, lighting plan and planting plan with the potential to delight homeowners every month of the year. If you need help with designing gardens with winter interest – take a look at our online garden design website and find out how our business can take the strain out of garden design.

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Alan Sargent advises: site surveying