News Releases

SET THE STAGE FOR WINTER INTEREST WHEN GARDEN IS GREEN
August 28, 2009

MILWAUKEE, WI – Winter is the longest season in the garden, and smart gardeners think ahead during spring, summer, and fall to provide the winter garden with structure and interest.

Members of the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Council, Inc., the area's leading home improvement and remodeling industry resource for more than 48 years, offer the following tips to plan a landscape of winter white in the yard:

Going Green: Evergreens, which actually offer a palette of blues, greens, and yellows, can be a backyard mainstay and act as a centerpiece, a natural fence, or a home for birds and wildlife. Spruce, pines, arborvitae, and cedar are all hardy.
Delicate Height: A vine such as clematis that offered bursts of white, pink, or purple in the summer can linger as a graceful drape, either over a fence or attached to a trellis.
Perennials: Ordinary perennials emerge with interesting, almost metallic, shapes against snowy drifts. Keep them in place rather than cutting them, for winter interest. After hydrangeas have had their day, their pompons of blossoms dry stiffly and have surprisingly good staying power through the winter. Purple coneflowers, with brown gumdrop-shaped heads, stick upright long after the bees have gone, and provide seeds for the birds.
Hardscaping: Trellises along a fence attain architectural interest in the winter as snow collects in a lattice pattern or shell-shaped top. Benches and birdhouses stand out.
Ornamental Grasses: Stiff plumes towering up to six feet tall add texture and movement. Karl Foerster is a popular variety of feather reed grass.

While planning ahead for winter interest, keep up with autumn lawn and garden duties:

Rake Leaves: Use fallen leaves either in the compost pile or as direct mulch on the garden. A heavy layer of mulch may smother perennial flowers, however.
Reseed Bare Lawn Areas: Fall is an especially good time to plant grass, as conditions are ideal for the seed to take root. By planting at this time, space for weeds to grow in spring is eliminated.
Bring Herbs Indoors: Thyme, rosemary, and parsley can grow indoors in cool weather with enough sunlight, about six hours a day.
Divide Perennials: Aim for approximately six weeks before the first hard freeze to divide some of the crowded spring perennials.
Plant Bulbs: Fall is the perfect time to plant spring bulbs including tulips and daffodils. Also, just after the first hard freeze, it's time to dig up summer bulbs such as gladiolus.

The Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Council was chartered in July 1961, as a Chapter of the National Home Improvement Council. In May of 1982, the National Home Improvement Council merged with the National Remodelers Association to form NARI - the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

The Council's goals of encouraging ethical conduct, professionalism, and sound business practices in the remodeling industry have led to the remodeling industry's growth and made NARI a recognized authority in that industry. With over 900 members, the Milwaukee Chapter is the nation's largest.

For more information or to receive a free copy of an annual membership roster listing all members alphabetically and by category, and the booklet, “Milwaukee/NARI’s Remodeling Guide,” call (414) 771-4071 or visit the Council’s Web site at www.milwaukeenari.org.