Designing Your Dream Landscape Starts in Winter

March 14, 2025

Why a Garden Design is the First Step Toward a Beautiful, Sustainable Property

The winter months are a restful time to think about your garden. Contemplating the possibilities and creating the vision for your space offers opportunities to reflect on your needs and wishes for your space. Thinking about how you use your space for patios, lawn area, gardens, driveways, ponds, seating areas while also the different styles, modern, rustic, natural, minimal provides time and reflection to ensure a holistic, carefully planned design that will be beneficial for you and your family.


Starting with a design, will draw out your vision and outline an overall plan for your property. Every property is unique and presents challenges and opportunities. Often sites have drainage issues, maybe their own or neighbours, privacy requirements, setbacks, septic, existing features to be retained. Also some properties can be located within protected areas such as shorelines, buffer zones etc. A design can help protect your investment by recognizing and anticipating problem areas and providing sustainable solutions.   

 

All these issues can be addressed proactively with a well thought out design. This process allows you as the homeowner to be involved in the design and be engaged to help create a space you and your family can enjoy for many years to come. Investing in a design helps you to see your vision, create a space that is comfortable for you and speaks to your style and creativity.


A design provides for consideration of budgets, timeline of project and material choices. Understanding the budget of your project allows for prioritizing the work and allows for a managed approach to ensure minimal surprises, while managing expectations. A design also provides scheduling the work through phases to ensure job site efficiency and offers time and consideration for material options and availability. Having a plan, provides for an understanding of maintenance requirements and expectations. Beginning your process with a detailed design, also for the inclusion of climate resilient applications such as storm water management rain gardens, bioswales, green roofs and also the consideration and design of food forests, passive design and lawn alternatives. 


Working with Parklane Landscapes on your garden design allows you and your property to be part of the creative process and offers you an opportunity to design a space sustainable and beautiful. Contact Jennifer at Parklane Landscapes today to begin your garden design journey.

By Joanne Mohan August 18, 2025
Unplug, Disconnect, Bloom!
By Joanne Mohan August 18, 2025
During the winter months, it's completely natural and acceptable to adopt a more laid-back attitude toward your garden. As temperatures drop and snow begins to cover the ground, most plants enter a state of dormancy, making winter a time when many gardeners can take a well-deserved break. This is an opportunity to appreciate the unique beauty that winter brings to your outdoor space. The skeletal branches of trees can create striking silhouettes against the crisp, clear sky, while winter-blooming plants, like hellebores and winter jasmine, add unexpected pops of color. Consider how the landscape transforms, with the quiet stillness allowing for reflection and rest. Instead of worrying about weeding or pruning, embrace this season of inactivity. You can enjoy cozy moments indoors, perhaps with a warm beverage, while dreaming of the vibrant blooms and lush greenery that will return with spring. Allow yourself to recharge and relish the tranquil beauty of your garden during this quieter time, knowing that it will soon awaken to life again. Winter gardening offers a unique opportunity to engage in a variety of activities that can enhance both your garden and your gardening skills. One enjoyable task is to create a winter garden plan, where you can research and select plants that thrive in colder months, such as evergreens and winter-blooming flowers. You can also take this time to prepare for spring by organizing your gardening tools, cleaning pots, and starting seeds indoors for future planting. It’s a great time for winter pruning of certain trees and shrubs, which promotes healthier growth in the spring. The winter months provide a valuable opportunity to prepare and organize for the upcoming spring and summer seasons in your garden. This is the ideal time to assess your needs, set clear goals, and create a comprehensive plan. Consider reaching out to professionals for ideas and designs. Many companies are still working and scheduling work for early Spring. If you hope to have landscaping completed for Summer, start planning now and call Parklane Landscapes at 705-327-0064 or visit our website parklanelandscapes.ca