THE WINTER WALKTHROUGH

WHEN THE GROWING SEASON SLOWS, TAKE TIME TO PLAN STRUCTURAL CHANGES GUIDED BY ONE SIMPLE PRINCIPLE

-  JENNIFER SMITH

Have you ever looked at a garden and it seemed to get lost to its backdrop? Without visual guides created by an overarching structure, the eye doesn't know where to rest, or where to register the end of a garden. When this happens, the garden becomes confused in its setting.

Thoughtfully placed objects, trees and shrubs solve the problem. Knowing where to add these elements simply requires a slow walk around the garden. And winter is the ideal season for such a walk, as these items are the ones that do not retreat with the first killing frost.

Above: Twiggy deciduous shrubs, broadleaf evergreens, grasslike sedges and evergreen ferns carry the winter show in this border. Imagine the space without them.

Below: The yellow bench identifies this secluded corner as a spot to bundle up and enjoy the play of winter color and texture.

Below: Small trees with interesting architecture anchor a garden vignette all year. This one frames a stand of winter-blooming hellebores.

In a small garden, just a few structural elements can suffice to define the space, but on larger property it helps to create vignettes-mini gardens that make up a unified, cohesive garden plan. Each vignette needs its own organizing details (though these may be shared, such as a hedge that plays backdrop to abutting spaces). Possible focal points of a garden vignette include a specimen tree or shrub, a bench, an urn or statue, a small water feature or a birdbath.

A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE

There's a pro-design principle that makes it very easy to perfect a garden's overall structure: earth, man and sky.