Four-Season Gardening
Landscaping Vermont in All Seasons
Vermont's diverse and picturesque landscape offers a magnificent canvas for experiencing the beauty of the four seasons from a gardening and landscape perspective.
Overall, Vermont's four seasons provide an ever-changing and inspiring backdrop for gardening and landscaping. From the vibrant rejuvenation of spring to the tranquil allure of winter, each season offers its own unique opportunities for appreciating and enhancing the natural beauty of Vermont's landscapes.
Spring
As winter's icy grasp loosens its hold, a magical phenomenon unfolds across the forests and meadows of Vermont. Emerging from their slumber, ephemeral flowers grace the landscape, heralding the long-awaited arrival of spring.
Spring reveals unique characteristics of plants and trees that will become more interesting as it awakens.
Spring in Vermont welcomes a burst of color and vitality. Gardeners eagerly anticipate the awakening of their landscapes as vibrant blooms emerge, and trees and shrubs come to life. It's a time for planting and nurturing new growth, with gardens abuzz with activity. The awakening of nature brings an explosion of energy and excitement, with the promise of a bountiful growing season ahead.
“Spring brings renewed energy and growth when nature becomes alive with color, energy, and sounds. “ Susie Lukens
Summer
Summer brings lush greenery, warm sunshine, and longer days. Vermont's gardens and landscapes come into their full splendor, with an array of flowers, vegetables, and fruits showcasing their abundance. It's a time for outdoor living, as gardens become inviting places for relaxation and entertainment. From bountiful vegetable patches to fragrant floral displays, Vermont's gardens thrive in the summer sun.
In the early summer, growth occurs rapidly as plants capitalize on the energy from the season’s warm temperatures and increased sunlight. A burst of pastel colors like blue, pink, and purple flood the garden, creating an enchanting vista. Peonies, irises, and alliums are just a few examples of early-season blooms, bringing their unique shapes and hues of pink, purple, and blue to the garden.
As the season progresses, the mid-summer stage delivers an abundance of color, textures, and fragrance. Bold colors like red, yellow, and orange steal the show, with flowers such as asters, coneflowers, and sedum.
Late summer offers its unique beauty, with the garden infused with warm golden tones. Ornamental grasses wave on gentle breezes, providing texture and movement. Daisies, phlox, and hibiscus shine with brilliant yellows, purples, and oranges, filling the garden with a bountiful harvest of color.
Summer is a truly magical time in Vermont gardens. It's a time when the vibrancy of life is on full display, and the distinct stages of this season bring about unique changes to the garden landscape.
Fall
Autumn paints Vermont's landscapes in a breathtaking display of rich, fiery colors. The foliage transforms into a stunning tapestry of reds, oranges, and yellows, creating a natural spectacle unlike any other. Gardens and landscapes become adorned with the vibrant hues of autumn, making it a perfect time for gardeners to celebrate the harvest and savor the rewards of their hard work. It's a time for preserving the beauty of the season, whether through dried flowers, harvested vegetables, or fall-themed garden decor. This is the ideal time to plant for next spring.
“As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas, and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see.”
Winter
Creating vibrant and captivating winter landscape designs is a true talent, and Susie Lukens truly embodies this expertise. As an artist and horticulturist, she embraces the magic of winter, adding beauty to your frosty gardens.
Susie embraces strong forms using plants and hardscaping. She uses shapes and colors of tree bark, perennial stems, seedheads, and evergreens.
Winter in Vermont casts a serene and picturesque blanket of snow over the gardens and landscapes. While the gardens may be dormant, the winter landscape exhibits its own captivating beauty. Snow-covered trees and frost-kissed branches create a magical ambiance, offering a peaceful respite for both gardeners and wildlife. It's a time for planning and preparing for the upcoming seasons, as gardeners eagerly await the renewal of the landscape in the spring. Winter is the perfect season to admire hardscaping and take in the sculptural shapes of your gardens.
“Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.”
