Creating a landscape with year round
interest is not as difficult a task as it may seem. We
have such a large palette of plants to choose from
here in Georgia that the biggest challenge should be
finding enough space for all your favorites.
The main staple in our gardens is our
evergreens. The most basic definition for an
evergreen plant is that it holds its foliage year round. Like
any plant, it will shed older leaves and produce new
ones, but instead of everything dropping at once—leaving
the plants bare, they tend to do it gradually over
a longer period of time. This gives the illusion
that the leaves stay on forever and the plant can provide
a full foliage look all year long.
Evergreens come in a variety of colors
and textures. We have evergreen foliage in shades
of red, yellow, white, and blues in addition to the
numerous shades of green. Some reddish foliage
plants that stand out in the winter are Wintercreeper
(Euonymus fortunei ‘Coloratus’) and Nandinas
of all kinds. Many variegated plants have white
or yellow or both colors such as Goshiki Osmanthus
(Goshiki heterophyllus ‘Goshiki’). Gold
Mop Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera filifera ‘Aurea
Nana’) has vibrant yellow foliage all year but
really shows up in the winter when many other colors
have faded. We don’t have many blue foliage
plants in the Southeast, but a few good performers
are Blue Star Juniper (Juniperus squamata ‘Blue
Star’) and Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara). There
area also a variety of textures to choose from in our
evergreen plants. The main groups are broadleaf
evergreens such as Hollies and Magnolias, needled conifers
like Deodar Cedars and Junipers, and soft foliage conifers
such as Arborvitae.
The less obvious plants with winter interest
are the ones that shine without their foliage. Many
plants have beautiful bark that we tend to overlook
when distracted by leaves and flowers during the growing
season. Coral Bark Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Beni
Kawa’), Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica),
and Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’)
are all known for their bright red stems in the winter. They
have attractive foliage in the summer, but the real
show is when the plants are bare and can show off their
bark. Another feature that is easier to see in
the winter is exfoliating bark. Several trees
and shrubs will naturally shed off the top layer of
bark showing a contrasting color underneath. Some
examples of plants with exfoliating bark are Crape
Myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica), River Birch (Betula
nigra), Chinese Elms (Ulmus parvifolia), and Oakleaf
Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia).
Structure is another often overlooked
feature in the winter landscape. Multi-trunked
trees such as Crape Myrtles and Serviceberries provide
a graceful upright focal point, especially if showcased
with uplighting. Other interesting forms are
the horizontal branching structures of Weeping Japanese
Maples (Acer palmatum dissectum) and Flowering Dogwoods
(Cornus florida). For a unique shape, use Contorted
Filbert (Corylus avellana) with its twisting and turning
branches that make great fillers for cut flower arrangements.
Another group that is often overlooked
but provide some beauty in the cold season are the
winter flowering plants. Many times the cold
keeps us indoors and we miss the flowers that open
up before the warmth of Spring. Fragrance is
an unexpected plus in a few of these early bloomers
such as Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans), Winter Daphne
(Daphne odora), and Sweetbox (Sarcococca spp.). Other
winter flowering plants are Mahonia (Mahonia bealei),
Pieris (Pieris japonica), Witchazel (Hamamelis x intermedia),
and Lenten Rose (Heleborus orientalis).
The last category is the plants with
showy berries in the winter. Everyone is familiar
with the evergreen hollies and their red berries, but
there are many other plants that also put on a great
ornamental fruit set. Winter King Hawthorne (Crataegus
viridis ‘Winter King’), Burning Bush (Euonymus
alataus ‘Compacta’), and Winterberry Holly
(Ilex verticillata ‘Winterberry’) are all
deciduous plants that show off their berries without
the distraction of foliage. For the shade garden,
Dwarf Green Aucuba (Aucuba japonica) produces large
berries in clusters around the stem.
For
a list of great plants to give interest to your winter
garden, see below. Don’t abandon your garden
in the winter, just make it worth the effort of bundling
up and venturing outside ! |