Reading the Winter Landscape
In thinking about a garden, natural areas are a helpful source of information and inspiration.
They offer insights into functional plant communities and combinations, and clues for designing and arranging our managed landscapes. When artist and landscape architect Preston Montague explores natural areas, he looks for those clues and connects them with elements in built landscapes. In winter, landscape elements can often be more readable than during the height of the growing season. In this video, walk with Preston as he offers tips for reading the winter landscape with design in mind.
The winter landscape also reveals opportunities to get better coverage for the garden. Check out our blog post on covering ground in winter for ideas and suggestions for evergreen groundcovers.
Preston Montague is a landscape architect and artist who developed a passion for the natural world while growing up in the rural foothills of Virginia. Currently, he lives in Durham, North Carolina working on projects that encourage stronger relationships between people and the natural world for the purpose of improving public and environmental health. Preston is a recipient of the Perennial Plant Association’s 2022 Landscape Design Awards.