Winter Landscapes by KCB

Hello again,



KCB is a professional gardener and friend who does wonderful work in the Greater Portland area. KCB is also an accredited Master Gardener by the Cooperative Extension Service and we are honored to have KCB as part of our Skillin's Garden Log family!




In the first KCB posting, KCB describes winter angst and then coming to terms with that angst and recognizing the good parts about January from a gardener’s perspective. In the second KCB posting, we venture OUT into January on an auto ride.

This installment brings us back indoors but with an eye to the outside and a mind to the outside; for the gardener victory is at hand—a winter wonderland of landscaping possibilities awaits:

Baby, it’s cold outside……..

A confession…………the past couple of days have even been too cold for me. If it wasn’t for my faithful 4 legged companion, the only out of doors I would experience is the trip to and from my truck.

There are a good many people who do not or can not tolerate the cold. Winter is a time to cocoon with a cup of tea in one hand and a gardening or travel magazine in the other.

Good news! It is not mandatory to leave your house to appreciate a winter landscape. A winter wonderland awaits outside your windows. Now is the perfect time to design next winter’s wonderland!

When designing a landscape, the views from within the home can be over looked. Think about it? Subconsciously or not, we so often look up from our task at hand and peak through a window. Why not stop a while to enjoy what you and nature created. Gray of winter is a perfect opportunity to add interest often without adding plant material.

Yes, what follows is quite a list. Take your time and focus on one or two areas that are the most visible to you. Incorporate the theory; less is more, yet nothing is still, nothing! Collect items over time. Do as I do, every garage sale, thrift store, or decorative furnishing store holds treasures. Expand your purchasing process to include your garden and outdoor oasis.

Where to start? Any room in your house can be a starting point.

œ Take special interest in views from inside your home, especially where you are likely
to spend time looking out of doors either intentionally or not.


o Kitchen window over sink or view from prep area.
o Directly outside French or Sliding Doors.
o Breakfast nook
o Bathroom-Tub, Shower, or whatever
o Home Office
o The very couch or chair from which you may read or watch television.
o Morning or Dusk view from bedrooms.

œ Take note of shadows on the land from existing plants, trees, and structures.
o The play of light/dark adds depth.

œ Include sculpture, interesting stone, boulders, twig furniture, other found objects that withstand the elements.
o Create your own sculpture by piling stones one upon another. They may be all similar in shape such as rounded river rocks in various sizes or perhaps a flat stone topped with an angular companion.
· Heavy snow fall may bury the object, however, wind patterns, degree of melting and the subtle change in topography creates depth and interest.



Warm you body, heat your soul when the sun rules the sky.


œ Create a place to bask in the warmth of the sun as it makes its way higher in the sky.
o A cement, stone or a park-type bench provides a place to sit while you hold your face towards the sun.
o A refuge to escape from the anxiety as to the outcome of a football game.
o A much needed breath of fresh air without having to walk too far.
o Or, like me, a place from which I throw and receive the ball while my Golden Retriever gets her exercise.

Restful moments are not solely for the day. A moonlit night offers beauty all its own.

œ Fresh or unblemished snow appears a smoky blue against the black of night.
o Ice particles capture moon beams and become diamonds.
· A thermos of mint or hazelnut laced hot chocolate complements the scene.
· Be adventurous, bring along a friend and a sleeping bag and look for falling stars.

In my gardens I often include items that were never meant for a garden
Have fun with this!

œ Look for materials, cement, marble, stainless steal, iron, or wood that will survive beyond the first freeze or snow. Extra points for interesting patina.
o A collection of copper tea kettles playing hide and seek among Autumn Joy Sedum.
o A brightly painted bucket (try blue or lime green) laid on its side to fill a vacant spot.
· For those of us who prefer a more subtle effect, rusted milk cans or the dulled steal of sap buckets do the trick.
o A wrought iron finial atop a pole or rod as a sentry to the dormant decaying foliage of once glorious ornamentals.
o A garage sale find rocker that has seen a lifetime of better days adds a perfect focal point. A resting place for your eyes or wildlife that just wants to stop for a while.
o A rusted wagon to hold found or purchased winter greens and berries.

œ Some of my favorite whimsical pieces once were at home in Skillin’s Bargain Corner.
o Our Maine winter may reduce its life as a decorative element to only one season. Who cares? Beauty often fades…Moreover you will have fun all over again replacing it!

œ Blank spaces offer an avenue for existing plant material to cast a shadow.
o Varying plant height, foliage coloring, and texture become more prominent when the eye has a place to stop (rest) as it scans the landscape.
o The ground after all, that all important first layer of design.

œ Create pathways, angles anything to break up the landscape.
o Even if it is not possible to navigate a path this time of year it will create a place for your eye and imagination to travel.
o The hint of a secret garden behind the garage or under the majestic limbs of an old growth hemlock.

Take advantage of existing structures or add more. Arbors, trellises, fences or a solo garden gate.

œ Do not overlook vertical elements.
o With minimal or monochromic color of the deep winter landscape, layering of elements seems more critical.
o Become perches for birds or placement of additional feeders or suet cakes.
o Cast shadows. (notice any themes?)


œ Add color and sparkle.
o Hang brightly colored or shiny objects on invisible fishing line from an arch, tree limb, or arbor.
o Fresh snow is a perfect canvas and often reflects color.


· Blank or damaged DVD or CDs are known to cast a rainbow over fresh snow or an icy ground.
· Reflected moonlight from these same objects offer an illusion of The Northern Lights

I’ve saved the best for last. Furry and feathered friends.


œ Bird Feeders.
o Even the plainest offer beauty when visited by feathered friends.
o Pole feeders at variable heights offer the shadowing mentioned earlier.
o Bird Baths can be useful during these frigid times in addition to an artistic element.
· Special heating elements are available.


We are lucky enough to live in a land of 4 seasons. Why not make the most of all of them………….



Next….The plants, grasses & Shrubs of a ‘winter garden’.



KCB

for Skillin's Greenhouses

January 24, 2008