Taking care of outdoor spaces during the cold season: tips for winter outdoors
While we are used to spending time in the garden or on the terrace outdoors during the summer, enjoying nature at its most lush and lively, there is no reason why the space has to go into hibernation once the winter comes. To the contrary, the arrival of the cold season marks the beginning of a new cycle where the outdoor space takes on a different identity, changing in structure, furnishings and colours. Moreover, taking care of your garden or balcony during the winter will let you have the outdoor space of your dreams once the summer is back.
Protecting the spaces against the elements, doing some maintenance on the structures and carefully choosing materials and furnishing accessories are fundamental activities when talking about a garden or a terrace. Let's take a look at some tips for beautiful winter outdoors.
Winter outdoors: the outside space changes look
The arrival of cold weather doesn’t mean having to stop using the area outside your home. To the contrary, it is a chance to transform environments, adapting them and making them cosy and practical, even in bad weather.
Colour your outdoors with winter plants
During the cold season, we can't enjoy the bright colours that nature offers us in the summer, but winter has shades and hues that we can enhance by choosing the right plants and furnishing accessories.
Evergreen plants like ivy or honeysuckle provide a touch of green to the winter outdoors, creating a shower of leaves that descends to the floor from a wooden trellis or hanging basket.
But if you're looking for some colour, there are many types of plants that can delight you with their flowers, even in harsh climates. An example is the winter jasmine with its small and delicate yellow flowers, and the cyclamen with its petals ranging from white to red to bright fuchsia. Both are resistant to low temperatures and able to bloom throughout the winter.
Make your garden shine with outdoor furniture
Choosing coloured furnishings that contrast with the tones of winter (and perhaps with the white of a nice snowfall) will literally make your outdoor space shine. Soft cushions in bright colours, chairs or tables in coloured metal, comfortable pouffes in solid colours or with patterns: whatever your choice, being daring with yellow ochre, orange red, ultra violet, bright green or intense blue will offer light even during the darkest days.
Do you want your outdoors to shine even brighter? Effective artificial lighting is essential to easily enjoying your outdoor spaces, especially when natural light is weaker. So why not take advantage of winter to start considering some ideas to brighten up your outdoor?
Act ahead of time
To be ready in early spring with a garden or a balcony that's green and well cared for, there are a few things you have to do during the coldest part of the year:
- Water the plants regularly, a little at a time to keep the roots from freezing. In case of heavy rain, on the other hand, protect the plants that might be damaged by excessive water.
- Pay attention to the timing of sowing and pruning to ensure splendid flowers when summer arrives.
- Repair and adequately protect furnishing accessories that can be damaged by the weather.
Protect the garden or the terrace in winter
Protecting your outdoor spaces in an appropriate manner will safeguard structures and furnishings against winter weather, ensuring their long life, beauty and functionality so they can be ready for the return of summer.
If you don't have an outdoor cover that can provide adequate shelter for your furniture, you could opt for universal covers that are waterproof and protect against the sun's rays to upholster chairs and tables. If your outdoor space is covered with a fabric structure, like the Pergotenda® Corradi models, it is advisable to keep the canvas folded during the winter so that it is not unnecessarily exposed to wind and rain.
By safeguarding outdoor covers and furniture during the winter you will be sure to have a beautiful outdoor space that you can fully enjoy with the arrival of the first warm days.
If on the other hand you're looking for an outdoor space that can be experienced even during the fall and winter, you'll need a total closure of the external space. The ideal choice is to complete pergolas and bioclimatic pergolas with a vertical closure in transparent PVC, combining the advantages of transparent glass with the versatility of a material capable of withstanding even strong winds, waterproof and insulating. Ermetika® by Corradi is the perfect choice.
Taking care of your winter outdoors is important not just for having an outdoor space that you can freely enjoy during cold days, but also because it allows you to better prepare the garden or the terrace for the arrival of summer. If you're looking for some other idea to furnish your terrace in winter, the first thing to consider is the fabric to choose for the outdoor space of your dreams.