Horticulture
Avoiding the Winter Rhodi-Rut
As the garden catalogs
start to arrive in the mail, like many, I find myself succumbing to dreams of
spring blooms and plans for the summer garden. This is a good time,
however, to plan for the winter garden – to pick out the plants to plant this
spring and next fall to have a showcase garden next winter.
In
The winter garden has
its own beauty: tree branches glistening after an ice storm, the contrast of a
bright red cardinal sitting on an evergreen branch, the starkness of dark bare
tree branches against fresh white snow. Here are some suggestions to
plant this spring to get out of next year’s winter rhodi-rut:
Winter color can come
from branches, foliage, berries, or early blooming plants. For example, Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’
(Variegated Red Twig Dogwood) and other varieties of Red Twig Dogwood have new
shoots that are bright red in the winter. Hollies have interesting leaves
that stay evergreen (particularly Ilex x merservae
cultivars, such as ‘Blue Prince’ and ‘Blue Princess’, which were bred to
withstand our harsh winters and have a bluish tint to their leaves). Pieris japonica (Japanese Andromeda)
has a rounded shape and is deer resistant. Dwarf Alberta Spruce provides
greenery, and Polystichum acrostichoides
(Christmas fern) presents low green fronds throughout the winter.
Wintergreen
Plants with berries that
last through the winter present a bright spot in your garden. Two such
plants are Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen), a low
grower with berries that persist through winter, and Ilex veritcillata
and other Winterberry cultivars, which are short or tall shrubs with bright red
berries.
Witch Hazel
Some plants bloom in
late winter. Varieties of Hamamelis (Witch
Hazel) can bloom as early as December or as late as February; blooming in
temperatures as low as the high 20s on successive sunny days. Bring cut
Witch Hazel branches indoors in February to brighten your house. Helleborus varieties (Hellebores) fit both the bloom and
foliage categories: they will hold their foliage if planted in a
protected area, and bloom in late winter and early spring.
Plants with interesting
branch structure add interest to the winterscape.
Some examples of these are Pinus sylvestris
(Scotch Pine), or Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ (Harry
Lauder’s Walking Stick). These look particularly interesting when the
branches are covered with snow.
Ornamental grasses
provide interesting form to the winter garden. Some to consider are Calamagrostis varieties, such as acutiflora
(Feather Reed Grass), with tall plumes that stand through winter, Panicum virgatum ‘Cloud Nine’
(Switch Grass), with gold stems that last all winter, and Miscanthus
sinensis ‘Variegatus’
(Varigated Madengrass),
a large grass with panicles that persist through winter.
Sedum autumn joy
Other plants that
provide structural interest in winter include Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, and
perennials with large seed heads such as Rudbeckia
(Black Eyed Susan) varieties and Echinacea (Coneflowers). Juniperus conferta ‘Blue Pacific’
can provide a low evergreen mat, or visual interest trailing over a wall.
Paperbark maple
Trees and shrubs such as
Acer griseum (Paperbark
Maple), Betula nigra (River
Birch), or Hydrangea quercifolia
(Oakleaf Hydrangea) have peeling bark that adds
textural interest to the winterscape.
Finally, don’t forget
that architectural elements can add visual contrast to a stark winter
landscape. Walls, sculptures, trellises, birdhouses, and winter-proof
planters can be enjoyed in winter as well as the other seasons.
Sources: Pelczar, Rita, and Cole, Trevor. American
Horticultural Society
Stocker, Carol. The
Wehr,
Leslie J. “Wake up the Winter Garden”,
Walliser,
Jessica. “Native Beauty”, Organic Gardening,
Feb-Mar 2008, p.59.