Good winter gardens

As I watch my flowers fade, realization hits that I'm probably lacking in winter structure, such as conifers (although I do have some). My approach has been with statuary, rock-ringed perennial borders and decorative pots, some of them in the borders.
What's in your winter garden that makes it attractive, or interesting in winter? Discuss!

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Permalink Reply by Michael Coyle on December 16, 2009 at 4:52am

The best place to start IMHO is a coral bark Japanese Maple. Though deciduous, the winter stem color is fantastic!

I have 3 varieties in my garden; the sango kaku, the beni kawa & the Japanese Sunrise. There are others that have the rich coral winter color, but I like these 3 the best. Below is the sango kaku with a bit of a holiday feel.

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Permalink Reply by Annie Higgins on December 16, 2009 at 10:27am

Texture and color of woody stems are wonderful aspects of the winter garden. Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum), Bloodtwig Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter's Fire), and Heritage Riverbirch are treats in winter. The arboretum has the Bloodtwig dogwood lining the entrance road against the rock wall and by January it is spectacular!
Berries are also a great addition to the winter garden. Great berry producers are Winter King Hawthorn and many deciduous hollies. The hollies need pollinators (males) as well as berry producers (females) so plant both for winter berries. The native beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) produces small bright purple berries in early winter/late fall and Mahonia has dark grape cluster of berries.
Late winter flowers include perennial evergreen Lenten Rose and Witch Hazel.
I also love the color and texture of mossy boulders in the landscape.

Attachments:

Maple Paperbark.jpg, 31 KB
Cornus Sanguinea MidwinterFire Red Osier dog.jpg, 48 KB
MOss rock.jpg, 8 KB

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Permalink Reply by Mark Wilson, RLA, ASLA on February 3, 2011 at 5:58pm

Try 'Winter Red' (large 7'-8' female) with 'Southern Gentleman' (male), or 'Red Sprite' (small 3'-4' female) with 'Jim Dandy' (male) native deciduous hollies. Give them full sun and consistent moisture the first year. Back them with appropriately sized ornamental grasses, and don't prune the tawny fronds until mid-March, or so, and you've created the perfect backdrop for the bright red holly berries. Even better when there is also snow on the ground!