Ways To Maintain Garden Interest in Winter

Michigan winters are “character builders.” Between keeping your driveway clear of snow (avoiding a heart attack while doing it) and assessing the potential for ice damming your roof, gardening is probably the furthest thing from your mind.

There are ways to maintain garden interest in winter. Doing so can maintain curb appeal for listed homes through the slower winter months of real estate sales. Try some of these techniques to make your front yard appealing and highlight your home’s charm, even when both are blanketed with snow.

Plant Shrubs With Colorful Winter Stems

Red and yellow twigged dogwood look fabulous against a snowy white backdrop and even better when planted in front of or between evergreens. Save some space in your front garden, or along the edges of your yard, to create a bed that features these winter interest stalwarts.

Don’t Cut Grasses or Perennial Seed Heads

Wait until spring to cut your hardy ornamental grasses back. Leaving them in place creates motion and structural interest in your garden. They provide height and capture light snow in enchanting ways, adding to garden interest in winter.

Grass also provides shelter for wildlife. If you leave the seed heads on your perennials, birds may find them a tasty snack to nourish them in the cold.

Go Big on Garden Ornaments

Outdoor décor is perfect for the winter garden. Before buying a bird bath, we’ll reveal that heated bird baths atop artistically painted support poles can keep birds visiting for water through the season. Bird houses provide shelter and a colorful touch to your front garden beds.

Plan for Spring Planting

When you think about creating winter interest in the garden, take notes about bare spots, places that need some height or color, and your current plants that produce colorful berries or interesting seed heads.

Plan to purchase and plant more "winter interest” plants in spring. Place them strategically in your existing garden and watch the magic emerge in winter.

Enjoying your winter garden as you look out from the cozy warmth of your home will help you cherish the season. Even if the snow is relentless and your shovels and snow blowers are in constant use, there’ll be something colorful or shapely to look at as you rest between rounds of snow removal.