Whether you live in the north or the south, maintaining a nice yard in the winter months is still a priority. Here are a few tips we found from Better Homes & Gardens that will help you enjoy your yard throughout the coldest of seasons.

Bark

Yes, deciduous trees lose their leaves in wintertime, leaving their branches and trunks in view. However, that can be a good thing, Barbara Pierson, nursery manager at White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut, says, “if you have any interesting ornamental trees that have really visually distinctive bark, which will end up adding winter interest.”

Berries

Many trees and shrubs have berries they maintain during fall and winter, and those can provide food for birds throughout the winter. Holly with berries is also a lovely addition to any yard in the winter.

Evergreens

Evergreens are great in a winter landscape for many reasons, including color. Evergreens are not just green; they’re available in yellow, such as Gold Thread false cypress, and blues, including dwarf blue spruce, and all colors in between.

Use Summertime Containers

Window boxes, hanging baskets, winter-hardy containers: All are indispensable for winter landscaping. Miniature dwarf Alberta spruce and broadleaf evergreens, such as Japanese Andromeda, holly and rhododendron, are perfect for wintertime, but they all have to be watered during dry periods. You don’t have to spend money on plants, Pierson says. “Fill containers with evergreen boughs of different textures and colors and interesting twigs,” she says, “anything with color in it.”

Not a fan of working in the cold? Let Stone Creek Landscaping maintain your yard even during the winter months.