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So I was surprised to discover that my friend Ricki Creamer, who does not share my watering-induced guilt, is also a huge fan of winter gardens. Ricki, who owns Red Cedar Country Gardens in Stilwell, Kan., works hard to create a lovely winter garden at her home because she knows if a garden looks great in January, it will likely be phenomenal in June.

Since I'm a notorious black thumb, I asked Ricki to share a few tips on how she makes her garden gorgeous even during these dark and cold winter months. Here's what she suggests:

When creating a four-season garden plan, Ricki advises starting with a base of plants that look lovely when the mercury plummets. First, install a backdrop of evergreens, like boxwoods, holly or pines. Then add in the naked wonders -- shrubs that look great when they are undressed. Ricki says her favorite time to visit the nursery is when the plants have lost their leaves so she can appreciate the color and texture of the twigs and bark.

Check with your local nursery to see what plants thrive in your zone. But if you live in the heartland, Ricki suggests staghorn sumac with its fuzzy branches that resemble reindeer antlers. She's also partial to Seven Sons (Heptcodium) shrubs, with their reddish peeling bark. Or try yellow-twig dogwood, which has chartreuse twigs that look sensational frosted with snow.

Finally, include some perennials that hold their foliage in the winter. The farther north you go, the more difficult this is, so check with your local gardening gurus to get a list of proven winners. At her greenhouse, Ricki points patrons to helleborous, nicknamed the "Christmas Rose" because it has pink, white or yellow blossoms in February. She also likes arum, a bulb that sports berries and an arrow-shaped leaf covered in silver spots. Another favorite is the Angelina sedum, which transforms from chartreuse to bronze in the fall.

Even though it's too early to install your winter-friendly landscape, there is still plenty you can do right now to add color and interest to your garden this winter. Try filling cold-weather-resistant garden urns with beautiful, natural displays. Start by inserting a bucket of moist sand to keep the clippings fresh all winter long. Then wedge in boughs of conifers like pine, cedar and blue spruce. Or: Ricki likes to use "tree toppers" -- the tops of Canadian evergreens -- that range from 12 inches to 4 feet tall.

You can keep the look simple by just using the conifers, or you can go a step further by bringing in broadleaf evergreens, like southern magnolias, and lovely colored twigs, like red dogwoods or weeping birch branches. Finish off the arrangement with colorful berries and seedpods, like rosehips, and some huge pinecones.

To give your display a bit more whimsy, insert a tall iron garden hook in the center of the arrangement and hang a lantern from the hook. If you want, brighten up the lantern with a battery-operated candle or a bird figurine sitting on a nest.

Mary Carol Garrity is the proprietor of three successful home-furnishings stores and the author of several best-selling books on home decorating.