Midwest Home Magazine asked David Kopfmann the following question, and his answer will be featured in their annual HomeBook, as well as online! David offers great advice and information that a homeowner may not consider while creating a landscape design during the summer months. Take a look…

Ask the Expert: What are important factors when it comes to winter landscape design and installation?

When creating a landscape design and installation project, I keep in mind all four seasons that blend different elements and effects. Since this is the winter season, let’s review a winter landscape.

Lighting: Landscape lighting is a major element due to the shortened daylight hours. A good lighting plan will illuminate driveways and sidewalks leading up to the house, but shouldn’t overpower the area. You can illuminate just the address by mounting it to a stone or brick driveway entrance pillar down by the street, you can light the driveway by utilizing down-lighting from trees (to stay above the height of snow), and you can light structure elements like gates, arbors, and sculptures at night, creating an artistic landscape. Your view of the yard at night from inside of the house is also important, and can be accomplished through adding accent lighting to evergreen trees, water features, urns, and pots.

Color: Ornamental grasses in the winter stand out in the snow and give your barren yard some warmth with its golden color. Plants that have red branches, such as Redtwig Dogwood, create a great color balance against a backdrop of white. Limelight Hydrangea shrubs have a strong branching system to support the dried flower heads all winter long.