It amazes me how much all this white stuff makes everything look so different. The layer of snow and ice on the land really highlights to me how much plants give shape and structure to the landscape around us. I wonder how many of us really appreciate how much the look and feel of our outdoor spaces are influenced by the trees and shrubs we choose to use.
I think of evergreen shrubs as the walls and paint of our gardens, a soft framework to give year round permanence and to establish the feel of the garden.
Deciduous shrubs enhance this structure but can change the look we achieve seasonally. They look different when the leaves grow, when they flower, when the leaves change colour and prepare to fall in autumn and when they finally fall in winter revealing the shapes and
colour of the stems and bark.
Trees can extend our look upward. Many people choose a tree to gain privacy but they can also be used to frame views and change light levels through the shade they offer.
Hedges can guide us round paths and offer a frame to borders to set off the brighter flowers inside.
Next time you’re in your garden or out and about have a look round and take a moment to appreciate the plants we don’t always notice but really influence how our outdoor spaces look and feel.
