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.