How to Keep Color in Your Yard All Winter

Landscaping provides a living art display that adds color and striking focal points to your outdoor areas, especially during the spring and summer. While winter can be a harsh time for your yard, it's possible to think of landscape designs that will add color to your yard all year round.

Plants With Winter Color

There are many different plants that will give you color all winter long. Some of these plants keep the same color while others change, giving you variation for the seasons. Many of these plants have different species that may fit better with your motif. Here are some popular choices to consider:

• Rhododendron: This hardy plant likes full sun to partial shade. It can grow to about 4 – 6 feet tall, but you can trim it for smaller areas. The leaves stay green all year and produce various colors throughout the seasons, depending on the variety. The plant named "Christmas Cheer" will bloom a light pink flower that fades to white during December or January.


• Pieris: The dark green oblong leaves have an evergreen glossy sheen. The plant blooms clusters of white, pink or red flowers that group together like grapes. Pieris bloom in late winter or very early spring.


• English Ivy: Ivy is great for background color and privacy. This variety will stay colorful all year long. The plant has a large pointy leaf that usually has 3 – 5 lobes. The leaf is green with yellowish white veins.

Evergreens

Despite the name, evergreen plants and trees do not have to be green. Some evergreen trees can come in gold, blue, or silver. The plants or trees may be any color; however, they must have some color all year long. The following plants and trees can be a great addition to your seasonal landscape design.

• Boxwood: These bushes can be planted together to make a solid wall of greenery. The dark green leaves are stubby and tightly clustered. Professional landscapers can trim the leaves into different shapes and designs, or you can do this yourself. Boxwood bushes can be an accent point or a sculpted centerpiece.


• Miniature Spruce: This evergreen tree only reaches 6 – 8 feet in height with a base about 4 – 5 feet wide. The deep green spruce makes a symmetrical cone shape that is perfect for outlining entry points or landscaping divisions.


• Himalayan Pine: This full-size tree can grow up to 50 feet tall. While the pine needles look the same as a normal pine tree, the Himalayan Pine needles cluster together. The result is a weeping affect that is almost artistic in an abstract way. These trees look spectacular with snow on them.

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Winter Grasses

The grass that you mow all summer long is very different form ornamental grass, which often provides color all winter long. These grasses range widely in their overall height and color. Properly placed, winter grass can keep your yard full of color.

• Blue Arctic Willow: During the summer, you will see a soft blue texture on the shoots. When winter comes, the twigs turn violet to contrast the winter drab. Most will reach about 5 feet tall and require little maintenance. At the end of winter, simply trim the twigs down for the next year's growth.


• Sweet Flag: This has green blades completely outlined by yellow, and the blades grow up to 12 inches long. The grass curves lightly and smells sweet when the wind blows through it. In the winter, the color changes to green, white and chartreuse colors.


• Black Mondo Grass: The name comes from the dark purple, almost black, leaves. The blades are stiff in nature and stay clumped together. The tight clumps are slow-growing and will reach about 10 inches in height and 12 inches in width.

You can keep your landscaping looking great all year long by mixing the right plants together. By choosing a collection of plants that will bloom at different times of the year, some seasonal specialties, and some evergreens, you will always have something to enjoy. For more landscaping ideas, check out our DIY blog.