Gardening may be the last thing on your mind when we dive into the depths of winter, but now is the time to plan how your garden will look next winter.
Here are some reasons why winter deserves more attention in your gardening practice, and tips for designing your “winter garden.”
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Healthy winter gardens provide a critical habitat for wildlife
The conservatory is designed to provide decorative appeal and environmental benefits during the winter months.
Most of the winter garden’s visual interest comes from dead or dormant plant material, such as snow-covered grasses, berries, and brightly colored stems.
Evergreen trees and shrubs, which continue to photosynthesise and grow into the winter, provide excellent visual structure and much-needed green spaces.
These plants are equally important to the local wildlife. Birds that spend the winter in our area eat seeds and berries from a wide variety of plants. Mammals that do not hibernate, such as rabbits, eat bark and small twigs when other food sources are scarce. (Rabbits really like small trees and shrubs, so you may want to protect immature tree trunks if you only have one or two of each.)
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A garden designed for all seasons can reduce home energy bills and carbon emissions
Well-placed trees help cool your home in the summer and retain heat in the winter.
Coniferous and evergreen trees planted in the north and northwest of your home can break the cold winter winds, which take the pressure off the furnace (and the planet). According to the Arbor Day Foundation, well-placed trees can reduce heating costs by up to 30 percent.
To maximize these benefits, evergreen windbreaks should be located approximately once to twice their expected height at maturity far from your home. For example, a tree that is 20 feet high should be located approximately 40 feet from your house.
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Planting deciduous trees on the south, east, and west sides of your home provides shade in the summer and allows the warmth of the sun into your home once it loses its leaves. Plant coniferous trees on the south side of your home only if they are located more than three times their mature height, so they don’t block the low winter sun.
When combined with other home energy retrofits, strategic tree planting can reduce your household’s carbon footprint even further (visit greenup.on.ca/climate-action-at-home/ for more information on home energy retrofits) .
Where do you start with your winter garden?
The first step in creating a winter garden is to observe and photograph your space from several angles. Try taking black and white photos to better assess the interest in the fabric in your garden.
Identify structural elements, such as evergreen trees and shrubs, or interesting views you don’t see when summer foliage is in your way. These are great focal points in a conservatory. Don’t see anything? Identify areas that can be improved by adding winter features.
Next, do some research on plants that offer winter value and are well suited to your site conditions. red osser dogwood (Cornus CereciaAmerican beechFagos Grandifolia) is a favorite of Vern Bastable, GreenUP’s director of ecological gardening and landscaping programs.
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“There are few other plants that contrast so well with freshly fallen snow as the red Osier dogwood,” Bastable explains. “It really makes any scene look like the prelude to a beautiful holiday greeting card. Plus, like all dogwood, the thin, low-growing branches are the forest’s white bread for many creatures. It’s always good to find the chewed-up tips of dogwood and try to guess who it was.” Another snack.”
“Unlike most other trees, American beech bears its leaves throughout the winter,” he adds. “The fresh snow on those yellow-brown leaves is always something to look forward to on a cold winter walk, as is the sound of winter winds burning leaves in a silent forest.”
Choosing the right plant takes time. No need to rush. After all, the planting season is still months away!
For more information on the growing conditions these and other native species require, check out reputable resources, such as the University of Guelph Arboretum, the Missouri Botanical Garden website, or GreenUP’s Sustainable Landscaping Guide.
no garden? No problem.
Of course, you don’t need your own garden to appreciate the beauty of winter. There is plenty to see and do in the many parks and nature areas around Nogojiwanong/Peterborough.
You can almost even enjoy the winter gardens. For example, check out this three-minute winter tour of the Toronto Botanic Gardens with Director of Horticulture Paul Gelatley:
Video: Walk around our conservatory with Paul Gellatly
Hayley Goodchild is the Biology Programs Coordinator at GreenUP. For more information on home energy retrofits and the resources needed to create sustainable gardens, visit the GreenUP website at www.greenup.on.ca.