The biggest pitfall of the novice gardener is to design a garden that peaks in the spring and then looks pretty sad for the rest of the year. This is because new gardeners often buy plants that have good flowers, forgetting that flowers only last a few months and structure is present year round. Foliage, branches, textures, and negative space all play a roll in the visual interest of a garden when it isn’t flowering. If a garden is designed with four-season interest in mind, the landscape will not appear abandoned in the winter.
Start by figuring out what one or two things will be present in your garden that will give it some visual interest even when nothing is blooming. Maybe you have some evergreen shrubs, or some interesting ornamental grasses that persist all winter. Maybe you have a tree with beautiful bark. When I was learning to garden, I used to sit in my garden and close my eyes and imagine what it would look like in November, when all of the leaves had fallen off the trees. What shapes would be present in the landscape, and would they be interesting? If the shapes appeared flat, I would add some elements that would persist into the winter that would add some mass and contrast.
Color should also persist throughout the season, transitioning from spring bulbs to summer perennials to fall color. One mistake new gardeners make is to have all of their exciting plants in one area, and to have the rest of the garden be pretty boring for most of the year. Make sure that there are plants that are exciting in different parts of the garden so that there is always something interesting to look at. This will give your garden the illusion of movement throughout the year.
An underutilized tool in the four-season garden is the hardscape, or the non-plant elements of your landscape. Paths, stone, benches, low walls- these are all things that you can add to your garden that will give it some structure even when nothing is blooming. One trick that I use to see if a landscape is well-structured is to stand by a window on a gray day and look at the landscape. If it still looks good, even when the plants are dull, then it is a good design. If not, I will try to incorporate some elements that give some geometry or texture to the landscape.
Of course, another way to ensure four-season interest in a landscape is to choose plants that don’t need a ton of maintenance. Plants that flop, or spread out of control, or need to be constantly deadheaded will detract from the beauty of a landscape. Choose plants that can gracefully withstand rain, wind, heat, and cold without getting too ratty. As you gain experience with different plants, you will learn how they hold up over the course of the year. When you design your garden with all of these things in mind, you will end up with a peaceful, beautiful space that is lovely even when it is not flowering.