1. I understand wanting the winter interest. This year, I’m taking a series of photos of the garden from the same spots each month so I can see easily what needs help. I started in April so I have the entire blah winter still to document. I like seeing the comparisons you provided and the examples–beautiful.

2. Although you haven’t solicited any advice to improve the winter scene at your home, I am taking the bold step of offering some anyway.

   Here is what I noticed both in the shots of your property and the attractive images that you posted:-

   1] Your winter scenes are missing the tall dead grasses which I notice you had cut down in autumn. Perhaps you should consider leaving them untouched until spring. Yes, they will be more difficult to shear at that time but think of the pleasure they will have offered all winter.

   2] Add to the garden, shrubs with red and or yellow winter bark.

   3] Add foundation plantings of evergreen Rhododendrons, but NOT Azaleas.

   4 Sprinkle a few low growing evergreen shrubs among the perennials.

   If your autumn is warm enough, I suppose you can plant now. However, if you choose to plant in spring, think of all the time, during winter, that you can devote to strategically planning the placement of the new additions. Its a kind of vicarious gardening, but it works!

3. Trust me, winter isn’t too bad. It’s when you can build stuff. All you need is a good hat, sturdy boots, a warm coatr and a will to build. Oh, and vodka.

4. I know the feeling about lack of winter interest. There’s an area in the front of my house that would be beautiful during winter with interesting plants, however, I learned the hard way that this area is also a place where we shovel snow on to and the plants and low growing broadleaf evergreens suffered with the mounding snow on them. That’s when I decided to remove them and plant it with just perennials, that way the area is clear for the mountains of snow it holds. Not to mention the insulation the snow provided for the perennials. One of the most interesting winter interest plants that I like are Red Twig Dogwoods. Albeit, not deer resistant, their stems are beautiful and provide a lot of interest in the winter, including the yellow twig varieties too! I am contemplating planting some of them this year in another area behind my house that lacks spark during winter as well. Then, I’ll spray them with deer spray to protect during the winter. I love the idea of leaving the grasses up and have done that as well as I have an entire berm of them however, I am one of those neat, anal type gardeners that despises what the dead grass looks like after a heavy snow fall. Maybe this year I’ll just cut down a few and leave the younger ones up just for a little interest.

5. Looks like you have a good start- I have small trees and bushes, some evergreen for height and then sedum for color through fall and winter. I leave my cone flowers to seed now through the winter and it looks really cool with the snow on it. Leave the grasses and wait to cut things off in very early spring. Garden concrete statues, if that’s your thing, helps as do benches. I, like you, used to clear me beds every fall. It was bare and boring and blah. I always wanted things clean, clean, clean. It really looks better in the fall, but the winter is so long without something to look at. I even took my flower pots, pulled the annuals, left the dirt, and stuck dried stems, old blooms and such in them and set them about.
   Thanks for following me!
   Hugs- Tete

6. Sherlock – I am planning on the same thing, multiple photos at all times of fall, winter, early spring

   Allan – the photos are a bit misleading, I leave all of my grasses up until Spring, photos were taken right after I cut them back. Just planted a few red twig dogwoods also, hope the deer leave them alone. I definitely need some smaller, shorter evergreens sprinkled throughout, that may be my focus the next few weeks. Thank u for the feedback! Super appreciated.

   Idiot – got the vodka, not the building skills though.

   Leslie – have the same snow issues, good idea to focus on perennials only there. Any chance you have yellow twig or red twig dogwoods still available at the nursery? Have two red twig but want more.

   Tete – thanks for reading and weclome! I absolutely need to add some structures to the gardens, been thinking about a bird bath, a bench or two, get too plant-centric at times. Thanks for the feedback!

7. Ah, the holy grail of gardening, year round interest! I too leave the grasses and lots of perennials to add structure to the winter garden. Some perennials look dreadful and do get chopped back, but verbena bonariensis, echinacea, sedums tend to look great until February, by which time the bulbs are starting to emerge. Contorted hazel can be great for winter interest, and then you get catkins too, and of course dogwoods are wonderful. I’ve also started using cyclamen for a splash of colour. Really like your summer planting though! And winter is a great time for planning the next year. If you are going to take regular photos of your garden to work out what is good/bad when, you could always join the End of Month View meme run by Patient Gardener? Its really helped me this year.

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