When it comes to gardening, many of us tend to think of our planting beds one season or one plant at a time. But taking the time to plan out a garden that looks gorgeous every day of the year is well worth the time and effort. You don’t have to be a horticulturalist. These strategies will help tweak any existing garden into a four-season wonder.

1. Think Beyond Flowers
Flowers get a little too much credit. For a year-long “wow” factor, make sure you combine flowers with plenty of other elements. Leaves, bark, branch shapes, berries, seed pods, hardscaping, decor and even the wildlife attracted by different plantings will all add new dimension and interest to your garden.

2. Grow a Backbone
Examine the trees, shrubs, focal points and other perennial plants that serve as the year-round ‘backbone’ of your garden. By swapping them out for choices with year-round interest, you can guarantee that the plantings that dominate your space are always bringing something to the party. Consider choices like evergreen plants or options that flower in spring, have beautiful foliage in summer, fall color in autumn and hold berries through most of the winter.

3. Make It Flow
Once you have your backbone, build your limbs out of a selection of perennials and bulbs with “rolling” interest. Divide every season into at least two parts, early and late, and plant at least two things that provide interest during that period. Invest in some extras that overlap seasons for seamless transitions. The “rolling” method guarantees constant color, drama and panache.

4. Fill It Out
The cherry on top of any four-season garden is the selection of annuals, containers and even vegetable gardens that you use to fill your garden out throughout the year. This rotating selection lets you switch things up on a whim and adapt to your own changing tastes without a major garden overhaul.

It doesn’t take much to make your garden look beautiful all year long.