Garden structure, garden bones

Cedar screens, both natural and (hu)man-made

You may come across the term "garden bones" which simply refers to the more permanent features of a garden like paths, pergolas, fences, gates, gazebos, statues and mature (evergreen) shrubs and trees. Even dead stalks and seedheads from the previous year can be included as structure. Much like our bones hold up muscle and skin, the garden's "harder" framework gives definition to the more fleeting flowers and foliage we enjoy. Winter is the season, for better or worse, that forces you to see the connectors of the yard without being distracted by colour. You'll have a better sense why things "flow" or not, why a strong focal point in the summer (could be a flowering shrub or small tree) isn't one for the other three seasons, and why a fence's colour or material isn't as substantial as it should be.