10 effective ways to make your Indy landscape look great in the winter

Here are 10 effective ways to make your landscaping look great in the winter, even when plants aren’t blooming:

1. Embrace Evergreens
   Use evergreen trees, shrubs, and groundcovers for year-round color and structure. Mix textures—needles, broadleaf, upright, and spreading varieties—for visual interest.

2. Keep It Clean and Tidy
   Remove fallen leaves, broken branches, and dead annuals. A neat landscape always looks better, especially when snow highlights clutter.

3. Add Outdoor Lighting
   Landscape lighting brings warmth and drama. Uplight trees, spotlight architectural features, or line pathways to create a cozy winter glow and improve safety.

4. Use Hardscape as a Feature
   Stone walls, patios, walkways, and garden edging stand out beautifully in winter. Snow and frost can actually enhance their texture and contrast.

5. Incorporate Decorative Elements
   Urns, sculptures, trellises, birdbaths, and benches provide focal points when plants go dormant. Choose weather-resistant materials for durability.

6. Highlight Winter Interest Plants
   Choose plants with colorful bark (red dogwood, birch), berries (holly, winterberry), or interesting seed heads and forms that shine in colder months.

7. Create Contrast and Layers
   Combine light and dark elements—snow against dark mulch, evergreen foliage near pale bark—to make the landscape visually striking even on gray days.

8. Leave Select Perennials Standing
   Some dried grasses and perennials add texture, movement, and charm, especially when dusted with snow. They also provide habitat for wildlife.

9. Use Mulch Strategically
   Fresh mulch improves appearance, adds contrast, and protects plant roots. Dark mulch can make winter landscapes look more polished.

10. Attract Winter Wildlife
    Add bird feeders, berry-producing plants, and water sources. Birds and wildlife bring life, color, and movement to your winter garden.

Greenleaf Landscape can provide assistance in creating an all season landscape. We can help you design and install the additions you need to achieve year round beauty. Call or email today for an appointment.