If you’re not using your yard all year long and you live in a four-season climate, you probably are wasting some of your home’s value. The reality is, you can transform your garden into a year-round point of interest, if you:
1) Set up a cookout area that works year-round. If you love to barbeque, you don’t have to save it just for the summer months. Setting up a fire pit or a barbecue area allows you to cook outside on milder winter days. You will need to ensure that you store fuel properly and that you keep any barbecue covered so it won’t rust. Having fresh-from-the-grill meals in the dead of winter can make the little bit of effort worth it, though.
2) Use heated walkways and driveways to keep your property safe and functional year-round. One reason why many homeowners essentially forget about their garden during the winter months is because snow removal is such a pain. You may shovel out your driveway to get the car out, but that may be it. Not only is that a terrible waste, but it is also potentially dangerous. Not removing snow and ice from all walking areas around your home can mean a nasty slip and fall accident – or an expensive lawsuit. Heated walkways and driveways are a simple solution. Underground heating ensures that every trace of snow and ice melts from your walkways and driveways, so you can easily get around your garden all winter long. Heated driveways and walkways also save you a lot of time, since they melt snow and ice automatically.
3) Invest in accessories that are attractive year-round. Heated birth baths, bird feeders, stone statues, and interesting fences or other garden accessories can look great, even in the winter, and can make your garden more appealing.
4) When buying plants for your garden, consider how they will look during every season. Buy some trees or shrubs that turn bright colors in the autumn and look for evergreens that will add a touch of color and some shape during the dead of winter. There are plenty of websites that can give you some inspiration for a winter garden.
Getting outdoors during the winter is important. It gives you a dose of Vitamin D and some much-needed fresh air. If you have a garden, you may as well enjoy it year-round. Even if you don’t live in a mild climate, you can get the most from your space with a little creative thinking.