Winter-flowering Winter-flowering

32 Designing for Winter
Any design should address what is in the realm of possibility for a given
location, with consideration for climate and the native soils. We should begin
with an analysis of the site, first to establish what already exists and then to
decide which elements we are going to retain and which to remove. We should
note things that we like, and things that we do not, keeping in mind how the
area will be used, by all who will use it—the whole family, if necessary. Critical
questions are our planned recreational uses of the space, ease of maintenance,
wind and frost protection, views to enhance or hide, sitting areas, how the
indoors will relate to the outdoors, sunny and shady locations, and so on. Again,
it is not feasible to turn the whole garden into a winter planting, so a full-blown
garden masterplan is not required; winter plantings may sometimes involve
only a minor adjustment to an existing planting.
By the cunning use of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, evergreen
groundcovers, climbing plants, and bulbs, a feeling of harmony within the
overall scale of our garden can be achieved. Selecting the right plant for the
Strong contrasts are key in a
winter garden. Here a
groundcover bramble
provides a foil for redstemmed
dogwood.