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You want to enjoy your yard year-round, right? Some of the steps are obvious, such as installing a fire pit for warmth in the cooler months. Perhaps you've already assembled comfortable furniture on your patio as well. That said, having a pretty vista year-round is another goal. Plant perennials and trees that will allow your yard to look attractive no matter the month.
Spring Plants
Naturally any annuals you plant in spring are going to look beautiful at this time, and augmenting your permanent landscaping this way is certainly a recommendation. However, Better Homes and Gardens also recommends the following perennials:
In addition to those perennials, consider trees that produce beautiful blossoms. The most obvious is a cherry tree, but lilac is an option that also offers fragrance. Mock orange is another like that. Plant these trees and install a comfortable bench so you can enjoy the blossoms and fragrance in the spring.
Summer Plants
You probably spend a lot of time outside in the summer. That's when seating under a tree come in handy. However, another pretty way to create shade is with a trellis. Plant a climbing flower, such as honeysuckle or morning glory, at the base and train it over the trellis for additional shade.
If you'd like to attract butterflies, create a garden with a butterfly bush at its center and surrounded with flowers such as zinnias, marigolds and bee balm. If you'd like a real show of color, consider using rhododendron as your anchor shrub and plant spider flowers, cosmos, gloriosa daisies and flowering tobacco around the bush.
Autumn Plants
For a vista that looks especially attractive in the fall, start with a tree that displays showy autumn foliage, such as maple. However, shrubs such as red twig dogwood, witch hazel and smokebush also display glorious autumn colors. Next, include ornamental grasses, which often turn color in autumn. However, you can augment the landscaping with plants such as flowering kale and sedum, which maintain their shape and color well into the fall. Coneflower and hydrangea are also late bloomers.
Winter Plants
While there aren't exactly many plants that bloom in winter, some maintain their beauty. A crab apple tree really delivers because it provides blossoms in spring, full foliage in summer, autumn colors in fall and fruit in the winter. Flowering quince and holly are shrubs that provide architectural shapes fringed with red berries deep into the winter. Dot your landscape with these types of plants so they're clearly visible from the house to provide a bit of cheer in the cold months.
Design a garden that looks beautiful all year long with these landscaping tips.