In the last couple of weeks winter has taken a stranglehold on my part of the world. November was warmer than expected, pay back time came in the first two weeks of December. Last nite the temperature gauge showed a sweet -13.5°C degrees. Apparently it was warmer in Greenland that very nite. Interesting. But what’s that “saying” – always look on the bright side of life? If you are into garden design, winter shows the bare bones of gardens. From that you can learn loads about structure and layout of a space. Also see the design that is not so obvious in summer when garden life is on an all year high.
Winter shows the bare bones of gardens – here an urban green space in Gothenburg, Sweden.
As an example, take this small urban green space seen in Gothenburg, Sweden. In summer the leaves are verdant and perennials are as vibrant as they come. As lush and fine as they are, they make it a bit tricky to see details. Such as the shape of the borders and the shape of the actual area. On this squarish corner plot I think the designers have done a good job working with circular shapes and adding height with raised bean-shaped borders filled with climbers in tall plant supports.
As a person into evergreens I like the pruned box, rhododendrons and taxus shrubs. But I can also see the appeal of the brown hornbeam. The colours complement each other. I’d say that this space is a fine chillaxing space for visitors all year long. Never mind the cold …
