Where do you find gardening ideas?

By Teresa Woodard

In the quiet of winter, gardeners may take a physical break from backyard chores but still actively stretch their minds for new ideas.  For me, I love pouring through garden magazines while my husband watches Sunday afternoon football.  I also pull out my camera and head to horticulture trade shows, like the one in town last week. And, year round, I seek ideas from travel experiences, nature walks, garden tours and artists’ works.

Over the holidays while visiting family in Switzerland, I was amazed with the wealth of winter décor ideas packed into the tiny mountain village of Gruyere.  Here, residents charmingly decorated their windows, doors, stone stoops, front steps and door frames.  We later realized the window numbers were tied to a decorating contest to further spur the town’s creativity.  Here are a few favorite designs that have winter-long appeal.