Although most plants in the garden are in a dreamy dormant state, now is the time for a number of patient plants to steal the spotlight with their showy flowers, fragrances, berries & bare branches. Below, I've listed just a few of my winter favorites. These plants are sure to add color and cheer on the grayest winter day.
Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold's Promise' - Witch Hazel
This is a wonderful deciduous shrub that showcases it's long lasting, yellow firework-like flowers around January & February. I love using this colorful shrub in the mixed woodland garden as it does well in partially shady exposures with well draining, organic soils. Make sure to give this Witch Hazel room to grow as it can reach 8-10' tall & wide within a short 10 year time span. You're in luck if yellow isn't your color, there is also 'Jelena' with it's coppery-orange flowers and 'Diane' flaunting a rich-red hue.
Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' - Midwinter Fire Redtwig Dogwood
This uninhibited shrub turns heads after dropping it's leaves in the fall and revealing the brightly colored branches beneath. The name aptly describes the warm glow of the orange and ember red stems that radiate from the glowing yellow base. The bright colors standout against dark green conifers and it's erect habit looks great shooting above soft feathery textured grasses. And don't forget to include it when planning your winter containers. This plant does best in sun and partial shade and prefers moist, well drained soil. And another reason to love this plant is that in contrast to other Redtwigs, this shrub maintains a compact size closer to 4' allowing it to fit into almost any corner of the garden. But one word of warning: unless your garden is fenced to keep deer out, you can expect that the deer will pull up a chair and invite their friends to enjoy this delicacy - and I'm not talking about it's winter color. Bummer.
Pyracantha coccinea - Firethorn
This plant boasts long lasting fiery orange, red and even yellow berries maturing in the fall and persisting well into the winter months. They provide a great resource of food for birds as well as protective hiding in amongst the dense and woody branching structure. Although this plant has many attractive qualities, it tends to get a prickly reputation as it's often used in the landscape as a security barrier discouraging trespassers with it's long, woody thorns. This tough as nails plant tolerates poor soil, reflective heat and is drought tolerant. For a stunning display, try espaliering this plant against a brick or stucco wall.
Sarcococca ruscifolia - Fragrant Sarcococca or Sweetbox
I can't rave enough about the intoxicatingly heady fragrance of this wonderful evergreen shrub. In fact, I dedicated a whole post to it last year. Scroll down or link
here.
Hopefully these showy plants will encourage you to look closer and explore your own gardens or even your native plant border and admire the berries, branches & textures of winter!
