Winter Gardening in Ottawa | Pretty Winterscape Projects

Winterscaping is a whole new element of gardening that extends the season in a fun, creative, and low-maintenance way.

By incorporating elements of decorating, most commonly wreaths, planters, and hanging baskets almost any outdoor plant arrangement can be transformed into a winterscape. Instead of walking past planters filled with frozen soil, winterscaping invites you to reimagine them as evergreen displays that bring life and texture to the landscape. Join us and learn how to create a beautiful evergreen planter that will last all winter long, even through cold Ottawa Valley winters.

There is an art to creating a well-balanced mixed evergreen display.

Start by filling your pots with black earth and watering well. Once frozen, the soil acts as an anchor, holding branches securely in place throughout the season. Use a mix of evergreen boughs to create depth, texture, and variation in colour. These are all excellent options to work with:

Ontario cedar
White pine
Red pine
Spruce

For height and contrast, red dogwood and birch branches have long been traditional favourites. Today, there are also many designer branches available at local garden centres, offering new shapes and tones, including:

Kuwa branches
Painted jay branches
Yangi branches

Pinecones are always popular, but there are many other natural elements worth exploring to add interest and personality to your arrangement, such as:

Lata stars
Wild rosehips
Buddha nuts (a favourite)
Banana stems
Lotus pods

With so many materials available, it’s easy to create a winterscape that feels unique, elegant, and personal. While traditional red remains a classic accent colour, recent trends have leaned toward more understated palettes, including:

White-washed finishes
Mahogany tones
Natural, organic textures

Evergreen planters and wreaths remain the most popular winterscaping staples, but evergreen hanging baskets deserve just as much attention. Like their summertime counterparts, they add visual interest and look stunning on front porches, entryways, and fences throughout the winter months.

Low Maintenance

Water once, and you’re set for the season once everything freezes.
No bugs or plant diseases to worry about.
Minimal upkeep with guaranteed performance.

For many gardeners, regardless of the season, this is gardening at its finest.

Gardens spend so much of winter cloaked under blankets of snow. This year, consider a foray into winterscaping as a way to bring beauty and structure to the landscape during the bleakest months. And if venturing out into the cold to gather boughs isn’t your idea of fun, consider signing up for an Evergreen workshop instead. You’ll create a stunning planter in the warmth of a greenhouse and leave the mess behind.

What better way to take winter head-on?