How to Use Walkways and Retaining Walls to Create Winter-Magic

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Snow can add some true magic to your garden. When you look out of your window on a white, glittery surface, branches heavy with fresh fallen snow, it is easy to get lost in the silence of this wonderful Christmas scenery. True, soon enough there will be footprints, shoveling and more mushy weather, but just follow our simple tricks to preserve the white winter magic a little while longer.

Walls of Delight
Retaining walls can be very attractive in a winter landscape. They provide space for the snow to collect and can be easily decorated with a few pine-branches, a lantern or some lights, depending on how natural you want the wall to look. Next spring or summer, think of planting some patches of decorative grass around your wall. This will add color to your winter landscape. Another beautiful addition is the installation of decorative tiles set into the wall. Texture and color should fit the surroundings and add an attractive splash of color. Choose flower motives to remind your garden-visitors what it will look like again in a few months.

Snow-Catchers
If you do not have a retaining wall, you still can add all kinds of structures to ad eye-appeal to your winter garden. Birdhouses are a wonderful addition to every yard. You can put them on wooden stilts or hang them in a tree. Other possible snow-catching elements are fences, arbors, benches, and boulders. If you just want to add something right away, choose simple tepee-like structures, made out of bamboo poles. You can decorate with natural materials, pines and red berries, lanterns, lights or Christmas ornaments. Have fun with it!

Outdoor Christmas-Trees
To add to the beauty of your wintery landscape, you should make sure to feature some trees and shrubs in your yard, that hold their bare limbs horizontally. This way snow can collect and creates the striking design of dark and light. Crabapple or Dogwood trees are good choices to create wintery silhouettes. Add some berry-full bird food to decorate your outside Christmas tree. 

Encourage a Walk in the Snow
To make sure, your winter landscape will get the attention it deserves, include some paths that garden-visitors can use in any weather. If you do not have walkways in your garden, which always add to a more park-like feeling, just try to create a path or two through your winter wonder land. You can use lanterns to mark the way.

Easy Winter-Decorations
For a wonderful one-time effect you can simply fill paper-bags with some sand and add a candle. Another easy to make outdoor winter decoration are ice-cakes. Take a Bundt cake pan or even a bucket and fill with water. Include decorative objects, like pinecones, pine tree branches, rowanberries or Christmas ornaments to be frozen in the ice cake. Use some warm water to get the ice cake out of the pan, set on some pinetree branches and enjoy!

For more ideas about landscaping projects for your garden contact Jamie Snyder of Albert Group Landscaping.

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Hardscape: How to Maintain a Safe Walkway through the Winter