While places further south benefit from a mild winter and can sometimes keep their lawn green all year round, it’s a bit trickier to come up with a landscaping solution that works for all seasons in Calgary. Often homeowners simply feel like they’re stuck having an ugly yard for six months of the year. If that describes you, you’re in luck! We at Five Star have three tips for making your winter yard look just as good as your green, summer haven.

Use Trees.

There are two types of trees you’re going to be working with.

Deciduous trees have leaves that are shed in fall. With these sorts of trees, you’ll want to focus on bark. What sort of shades will stand out in your yard. Near black bark? White bark? Multi-coloured bark? Dark coloured barks against a snowy white landscape gives an elegant, understated sort of beauty.

Coniferous trees have needles and stay awake all winter long. Despite the misnomer nickname “evergreen”, conifers are available from gold yellows to grey-blue. These trees are the ones that will add some much-needed colour and a living element to an otherwise dead lawn. By choosing your conifers carefully, you’ll also have an interesting tree that stands out all year long.

Hardscape.

Trellis, benches, arbors, garden sculptures. There is a huge variety of hardscape structures available. They usually serve as focal points that draw attention. In summer, hardscape may not shine against a beautifully tended garden, but in the winter there is nothing to distract from it. Make sure any lattice or other hardscape structures are in good condition and aesthetically pleasing during the winter as well as the summer months. And if your yard is lacking a certain something, remember there are more options than just plants.

Winter Foliage Boxes.

Using planters, flower boxes, or even a wheelbarrow, choose small evergreens, a collection of bare branches, grasses, and other interesting textures to create winter foliage bouquets. This is a great time to go to common symbols of winter for inspiration. Add some holly with bright berries, some silver bells, and red ribbon. This is a project that lets your creativity shine!

When it comes to winter landscaping, the cold Calgary weather doesn’t mean having to give up until spring. There are many great options for creating a beautiful, winter display using the plants and materials common to Alberta. Need help finding the landscaping design that complements your yard? The experts at Five Star can help! Call us today!