Who says winter is dull and monochromatic? Maybe it is not quite winter yet, but it seems to me to have arrived with the snow which fell last night!
Choose your plants and containers carefully when planning and planting to get good texture and colour in your landscape over the winter...everything from large trees to small containers thoughtfully planted and placed where they can be seen from the inside can break the monotony of the winter months. The light from the sun is low but direct and strong when it does appear.
This is the scene we enjoy courtesy of neighbours...our borrowed landscape.....and it is beautiful! The huge Catalpa lost all of its leaves in an hour just before the snow came the other day and tamped everything down, and the colour behind and to the side of it is a collection of oaks of different shades and the brilliant deciduous needles of the larch, also known as the Tamarack tree. I was reminded today that it is the only native deciduous conifer in Ontario. Unlike most conifers (their seed is carried in cones) which are evergreen and do not lose their needles, such as spruce, fir, pine, etc., larch develops stunning colour over the fall, and then drops its needles going into winter. An interesting structural tree with an extra twist!
In this year when we will be trying to be outside a bit more, give a thought on how to increase the beauty of your outside space.