This is the time of year when a garden really proves it mettle.

Are shrub and perennial borders still boast enticing color via foliage, flowers or berries? Are there areas where nothing much is happening because the site is mostly soon-to-be dormant perennials? Is there visible structure that will help your landscape look sharp through the dreary days of winter?

Successful gardens have the ability to shift from one season to the next without losing momentum. While it’s true that a winter garden is almost certain to be more spare and calm than the same space during the height of summer, it should still exude a clear sense of form, function and peaceful beauty.

Of course, having said that, I must confess that I’m still working on trying to achieve that goal myself. Small bits and parts of our garden look somewhat presentable between November and February, but larger portions remain undefined and lackluster.

Figuring out a solution to areas that are prone to the winter blahs can be a challenge. Trips to area nurseries and looking at books and magazines can help. You can also glean wonderful ideas simply by checking out surrounding neighborhoods, zeroing in on gardens that still look pretty decent despite few flowers and floppy foliage.

Such field trips allow you to get up close and personal with successful plantings. And, if you’re lucky, you may also catch the gardener at home for a more in-depth conversation.

Take your camera and a notebook for jotting down ideas. Observe not only what works, but also be sure to note what doesn’t — plants that don’t hold up to the weather, designs that look out-of-place once surrounding perennials have died back and high-maintenance designs that have the gardener working overtime even when the weather is cold and nasty.

I’ll often write down the address of gardens that look good in November and continue to visit them through the winter. Watching the evolution of another garden over several months gives me plenty to consider as I work on my own efforts to refine, remove and renovate.

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November Q & A

Question: “We just finished planting several hundred narcissus, crocus and specialty bulbs. I nixed the idea of fertilizing with bone meal because of our three dogs — I could just see them digging up every single bulb in an effort to reach the bone meal! Is there another organic fertilizer I can use that won’t attract my canines?”

Answer: I can totally relate because our own dogs have always gone crazy over bone meal. I learned early on to never even bring it home because the bags would invariably get ripped open and the contents consumed. Yuck!

Now, instead of bone meal, I spread compost on top of all newly planted bulb areas. Incorporating compost into the planting hole is even better, but a one- to 3-inch top dressing also works almost as well. Winter rains leach the material down into the root zone, where it’s utilized once dormancy breaks in late winter.

A top dressing of compost is especially useful for older plantings. These bulbs often need an extra boost to put on a good show year after year. Aged compost should not smell, which makes it of no interest to resident canines.

Question: “We don’t have much privacy from the street and sometimes it feels like we’re living in a fish bowl. A neighbor suggested building a berm, but I’m not sure I’m ready for a big hill in our front yard! What exactly is a berm, anyway?”

Answer: I suspect your neighbor meant a much more natural type of mound, meant to mimic a low hill and planted so that it fits naturally into the surrounding landscape.

The key with privacy berms is finding that reasonable height. Remember, even if your mound is only 2 feet tall, it will appear taller — and provide more privacy — once it’s planted with shrubs, trees and perennials.

Smaller lots look best when berms are not too tall. Berms also look more natural when placed along the edge of a street or driveway, and when they’re allowed to follow the natural contours of the property. Avoid placing a large mound in the middle of your garden — it very likely will look ridiculous.

We have a low berm that runs along one edge of our driveway. It’s a bit less than two feet in height, but coupled with a naturalistic planting scheme it does a nice job of screening our daughter’s front bedroom window from the street.