Keeping the garden interesting through winter

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Some may say that one of the secrets to a successful garden is to keep interest going all year round. This can often be challenging depending on your gardens aspect and susceptibility to frost and so on, but not impossible. Don't just think flowers for colour, think wider and look at what else can provide interest and colour through those cold dark months. 

The bark of Acer griseum


Last January I touched on this subject in this blog (here). There are various aspects of plants that can bring interest to the garden through winter: flowers, interesting bark, evergreen leaves and seedheads left on perennials. As always I have suggested  tough plants that will cope with our Scottish garden conditions and which are available in the nursery.

Prunus serrula

There are many trees and shrubs that have interesting and colourful bark all year round, these are particularly noticeable in winter once the leaves have dropped and the framework and beauty of the tree is revealed. Prunus serrula and Betula are two of my favourites. The peeling pinky red bark of the Prunus and the white papery bark of the Betulas have a certain tactile appeal: you just have to touch them. Depending on variety some Betulas are much whiter, B. jaquemontii and B. 'Snow Queen' are two of the best. Some Acers are also grown for their bark colour and texture, be it the brown flaky bark of A. griseum or the white lined bark of the snakebark Acers including A. capillipes whose leaves also turns a vibrant red in autumn 

Betula jaquemontii peeling in Dawyck Gardens
Variations in bark colour of Betulas
The bark of a Snakebark Acer
Many Cornus are grown for their red bark, pollarding every few years will keep the young colourful shoots
fresh and the shrub a neat shape and size. This is C. alba 'Elegantissima', a variegated variuety

Other shrubs to consider are ones that flower in winter such as several varieties of Viburnum and Cornus mas. Look our for Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn',.A strong plant with pink scented flowers throughout winter, it can reach eight to 10 feet over time and is well worth the space as a back drop to a border. A Viburnum that ticks two boxes is V. tinus, which is evergreen and flowers in winter with its pink buds opening into white scented flowers. Again this is good as an evergreen screen or back-drop to a border, giving form and interest all year round. Cornus mas produces gloriously yellow flowers in later winter, creating a bright spot in the garden: well worth growing for something different.

The flowers of Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'

Viburnum tinus

Cornus mas

Mahonia flower in late winter with golden yellow scented flowers

Evergreens are essential to form a frame work in the garden when perennials are dormant and decisuous trees and shrubs are bare of leaves. They add height, shape and colour to what could otherwise be a flat landscape. Conifers are the obvious choice here, hardy, easy to grow and come in many colours and shapes to suit every taste. I prefer evergreen shrubs such as Viburnum davidii with its glossy leaves, Viburnum tinus and its winter flowers, Holly, especially I. ferox and I 'Blue Princess' for something quite different. For a zing of colour try Euonymus 'Emerald Gaiety' or Euonymus 'Emerald n Gold', both are evergreen with bright variegation.


Display table full of winter interest trees and shrubs here in the nursery

Moving down the scale a bit there are also grasses, ferns and perennials that keep going through winter. Grasses such as Carex, Miscanthus, Chionochloa, Luzula, Stipa and Festuca are evergreen, providing great shape and colour in the winter garden. Don't cut the flower heads off until late winter when you start the garden tidy up and you have great arching and spiky seed heads that will hold the frost on cold days, adding height and interest as they sparkle in the winter sun. You can see what grasses we have in stock on the Grasses page on the website here 

Chionochloa rubra

Stipa gigantea

Evergreen perennials are more limited and tend to be smaller, but can be used for good ground cover and front of border interest, As with the grasses you can also leave seed-heads on the plants through winter.  Ajuga, Bergenias, Hellebores, Epimediums, some Geraniums and Geums, Heucheras, Iris foetidissima, Liriopes and Ophiopogon (grass-like but not a grass), all have leaves through winter. Some perennials do keep a certain amount of leaves, depending on the weather conditions and severity of the winter. 


Ophiopogon nigrescens


Bergenias looking good with frost

Below is a list of suitable plants recommended by the Quirky Bord Gardener.


Trees and Shrubs
Acer griseum
Acer capillipes
Berberis stenophylla
Betula pendula
Betula 'Snow Queen'
Betula 'Edinburgh'
Cornus alba 'Sibirica'
Cornus mas
Euonymus 'Emerald n Gold'
Euonymus 'Emerald Gaiety'
Ilex ferox
Ilex 'Blue Princess'
Mahonia x media 'Charity'
Prunus serrula
Taxus baccata 'Standishii'
Viburnum davidii
Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn'
Viburnum tinus

Grasses
Carex
Chionochloa
Festuca 
Luzula nivea
Luzula sylvatica
Miscanthus
Stipa


Perennials
Ajuga
Bergenia
Epimedium
Geraniums
Geums
Hellebores
Iris foetidissima
Liriope
Ophiopogon
Vinca


Ferns
Asplenium
Polypodium







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All contents  and photographs ©  Rona, unauthorised reproduction & use of these images is strictly forbidden

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