Notes From A Winter Garden
As the daylight fades and the temperatures drop, me and most gardeners prepare for the season ahead. But have you thought about what can be added to our gardens to provide interest through the long winter months? If you can think a little outside of the box you can find many plants that can make you happy to see your garden when most things are taking a nap. Since winter blooming plants are very limited, you must think mostly about the structure of plants. Here are a few tips from my notebook when thinking about your winter garden. Some of these plants I have and others I would love to have. While thinking outside of the box you can start by looking for trees and shrubs that are evergreen, have exfoliating bark, or beautiful branch structure. Or perennials with nice seed heads on strong stems that can stay and add some interest. And of course a few things can provide blooms for you to enjoy.
First let’s think about something that can provide some blooms. What I consider the queen of the winter garden is Helleborus. This plant not only provides nice evergreen foliage for the part-shade areas, it also blooms at a time of year that most things have put on the breaks. They can come in many colors from greens, reds, pinks, purples, whites and yellows. Through breeding many varieties are now available with up-ward facing blooms, instead of the down-ward facing known to most people. You also can find different flower forms from single through double. Shrubs you can consider could include Daphne odora Aureo-marginata. With evergreen variegated foliage, it has very fragrant blossoms in the late winter. Maybe you will find space for Edgeworthia chysantha (the Japanese paperbush). Now this neat shrub boosts white/yellow fragrant blooms on bare 4-5’ stems. If you have space for something taller, consider an American native, Hamamelis virginiana. Growing 10-20 ft tall and wide, you can find blooms in ranges of yellows, red, and oranges.
When it comes to evergreens, there are so many plants to choose from. But, there is more out there outside of the world of boxwoods and hollies. Check out the many varieties of conifers. Conifers can provide beautiful texture to the garden, and look picture perfect during a light snow. A conifer that can find a place in just about any garden is Thuja Golden Globe. This shrub, growing about 3’x3’, has beautiful gold foliage that intensifies in the cooler weather. Some other conifers include Chamaecyparis Glauca Pendula, Picea pungens Glauca Globosa Thuja Fire Chief, Pinus Strobus Nana and Podocarpus ‘County Park Fire’ with its purple foliage in the winter.
Now lastly in my notebook of winter interest are plants with interesting bark/ branch structure and perennials with seed heads to catch your eye. When thinking about plant material that has bark for interest, I love things such as our native Hydrangea quercifolia. You can find this shrub in growth sizes from 2’x3’ from Hydrangea ‘Pee Wee'to the 8-10’ you will get from Hydrangea ‘Alice’ . In the winter months you will notice the beautiful exfoliating bark. And you can leave its flower heads for an extra show. Have more space, think about Acer griseum (paperbark maple), again with exfoliating bark. There are also trees and shrubs that give its interest from bark color such as Cornus stolonifera 'Arctic Fire’. With its bright red stems, it can really stand out in the winter garden. Imagine having this red stand out in a nice snow covered landscape. Remember you get nicer color on newer stems, so you will want to cut it back every few years. Acer palmatum Sango Kaku (coral bark maple), stands in two categories. Like most Japanese maple you will get a nice branch structure, but picture it with vibrant coral/ red bark in the cold season. Only growing to 8-10’ this tree can fit in many gardens and even can be grown in a large container. For branch structure outside of Japanese maples, one of my favorite plants is Corylus ‘Contorta’ (Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick). Now this shrub has very contorted branches making it look like it belongs in a fairy tale. In late winter you will start to notice the yellowish brown catkins hanging on this 10’ shrub like ornaments, and are really beautiful in the snow. When it comes to perennial seed heads of perennial not everything will stand up in a heavy snow. But I have noticed a few things in my garden that will and I always keep standing are Echinaceas, serving double duty feeding birds in the winter. But one of my favorites has to be the Aruncus dioicus. After losing its foliage this plant turns a rusty brown and the arching seed heads on sturdy 3’ stems stand out.
I hope that with these suggestions from my notebook you will take some time to think about adding more plants to your garden just for winter interest. If you have limited space or budget, start adding a little at a time. Pick a window that you can look out of into your garden and add things for you to enjoy during those days that walking around outside is uncomfortable. So let's get out there and get your hands dirty, add plants for winter interest creating a four season garden.
