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Winter
Garden Decorating
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 Summer Garden |
This fabulous garden design is courtesy
of Deanne at http://deanneart.com/ and shows a perfect example of the winter garden at its best! Note the trellis, birdbath, and elements that create interest all season long. Thank you Deanne! |
 Winter Garden! |
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Is anything more hopeful than crocus pushing up through the snow? Make your plans now for these enticing flowers to grace your garden! Plant around a Garden Art piece and just wait! |
| Patios By patio, I mean a small concrete slab that fills up quickly with a couple of lawn chairs and your grill. A small, but useful place for warm weather gatherings. It, too, can be pleasant come Fall and Winter. Some "fix-ups" as you would for the deck, only maybe use a couple coats of concrete stain or paint. Use the same principles here. Lots of grasses for interest, a place to sit come cool/ cold weather, and Garden Art to define the area. A push broom will keep the snow at bay, and again, steaming coffee on a very crisp, cold morning, is a wonderful way to greet the day. If your patio is prone to collecting a lot of snow,(assuming you have snow!), you may want to consider a snow fence for the winter months to prevent your little get-away from becoming a snow catcher! Plan this bit of fencing carefully. You may only need 10 feet of snow fence, but you need to be sure it's put on the right side of the patio. I have wickedly funny recollections of my Dad having a very long snow fence installed the entire length of our driveway, only to wake up one morning to find that the fence had prevented the snow from being blown OFF the drive. So, where the expanse of the front yard actually showed some brown grass poking through, the driveway had filled with at least 6 feet of lovely, fluffy white stuff. I thought it was hilarious, but I remember Dad mumbling under his breath. ~snicker~ Bottom line... ask about snow fence placement when you buy it!
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These lovely winter scenes are courtesy of Ellie Hogeveen.
Enjoy the beauty of Nature during the winter! Thank you Ellie! "Edrika's Corner" |
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Sun Porch/Garden Room Whatever you call it, I am referring to a room that is part of your home, but is closed off to allow it to be more humid and sun warmed. A "three-season" room. This is where your plants thrive all year long, and where, on cold days, you can still enjoy the milder side of Nature. In this part of Florida, they call them Lanais and they are really just a covered part of the screen enclosed pool area. As soon as "swim and tan" season is over, and it actually does slow way down, even here, the Lanai tends to be ignored. Why not enjoy it year around? Keep it clean, change out the decoratives to match the Season, and use Garden Art to keep it cheery, even when you hardly use it! You still see it! And, so do the guests. A true Sun Room is different. It is enclosed, and very much a part of the home. Many of them are not heated, especially in the North. The sun does that job! They are especially nice when the gray Winter light gets you feeling a bit "blue". Although cooler in the Winter months, they are sill enjoyable with comfy furniture and plenty of plants. If you have to bring some intolerant plants into the main house, consider silks as a cold-weather substitute to keep the Garden look going. And cozy, soft throws to curl up in. Then add your creative garden touches to bring the delights of your Summer garden indoors! A teacup feeder stuck into a silk plant still has appeal. Fill it with flowery potpourri. Colorful danglers catch the light. A painted garden bench brought inside and covered with a pillow says..."Spring is coming". Add a fountain for that fantastic sound! With any type of Garden Room, deck, or patio, think in terms of year-round use. Be creative! I can not possibly be the only person on the planet who enjoys hot cocoa on a snowy deck! Keep Winter Garden Decorating in your mind this month and you will be happy you did come cold weather! Expand your thinking! Time to go "outside the box"!
As always, Happy Decorating! Jane |
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