Winter Landscape, An Indoor Perspective
What do you see when you look out your winter window? On a bluebird day, perhaps you are fortunate enough to be awed by a mountain peak off in the distance, or the intense blue of the crisp mountain sky. But what about those days when the gray sky melds with the white snow, and the mountains are out of view? A winter focal point in your garden is a great way to chase away the winter blues on such a day.
In garden design, creating a focal point is an oft used method of instilling unity and order in a landscape. A winter focal point is an inside out visual resting place that puts you in a happy place - or should try at least.
Some consider a focal point to be always inanimate, unchanging, such as a fountain, bench or sculpture. The moose sculpture shown in the photo below has been a delightful prominent focus in our winter garden. When the gray seems to be seeping into my bones, this cartoonish creature catches my eye and warms my heart. Something as simple as a red Adirondack chair gives a contrast of color on those gray days and brings to mind the season to come.
Nature's structural forms make excellent winter visual pick-me-ups when properly staged, and I consider them perfect options for certain focal points. Weeping trees such as Malus sargentii 'Tina', a dwarf Crabapple, have excellent contrasting structure to the typical vertical bare branches of winter. Or try one of the colorfully branched dogwood varieties such as Red-Twigged Dogwood or Anny's Winter Orange Bloodtwig Dogwood either as specimens or in a small grouping outside your home office or kitchen window.
So whatever delights your eye, whether it's the brightly colored branches of a dogwood, a tree with a unique structure, or a whimsical sculpture, consider adding a focal point and a smile to your winter garden.
Cornus sericea 'Farrow'. Click on photo for details.