Favorite Winter Interests
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. ”
Winter can be dull and boring in the landscape but here are a few winter bloomers to liven up your garden and help get you through the dreary winter months. You can get splashes of winter color with many types and varieties of trees, shrubs and perennials. And blooming can start as early as November and carry through until spring if you plan it right. Here are Little Bird’s top favorites.
Winter Camellias Camellia sasanqua
Beginning in late fall/early winter this evergreen variety of camellia is loaded with buds ready to bloom. Often starting in November and lasting months, the blooms of Camellia sasanqua will make any winter garden beautiful. The sasanquas are often airier than the japonica varieties and typically host a smaller bloom and leaf size. Best if sited in filtered sun with a good layer of mulch around the base. They are slow growing and make a nice foundation plant or added to your border plantings for evergreen interest. A couple of varieties I particularly enjoy are ‘Buttermint’, with its palest of yellow blooms and ‘Pink a Boo’, with its cheery pink blossoms. Though listed as deer resistant I have had trouble with them where I live in the PNW. I suggest protecting them until they mature. USDA zone 7-9
Winter flowering Daphne Daphne odora
With its showy pink to lavender blossoms that appear mid to late winter, daphnes are rich with fragrance best enjoyed in the early mornings and evenings. Reaching only 4’ x 6’, plant daphne near a walkway or entrance as a specimen plant. Daphne odora is also great for woodland gardens, containers, and around foundations. It is salt tolerant and likes shade to moderate sun with well drained soil. Popular varieties include ‘Mae-Jima’, ‘Zuiko Nishiki’, ‘Aureo-marginata’ & ‘Perfume Princess’. Deer resistant and pollinator friendly. USDA zone 7-9
Winter jasmine Jasminum nudiflorium
This deciduous winter shrub blooms bright yellow flowers on bare stems. Winter jasmine can be used as a groundcover, cascading over a wall or trained up a trellis. It will reach up to 4 ft as a shrub but supported on a trellis it can reach up to 15ft. Relatively pest free and will grow in most soil types. Prune in the spring as not to affect the bloom. Planting is recommended in the spring. USDA 6-10
Hellebores
These are a must for the winter garden. They come in many colors, from pale green, all shades of pink, deep maroon to creamy white. Hellebores do particularly well in dry part-shade and are deer-resistant. My hellebores like to start early (November) and will hold their bloom well into spring. The foliage is evergreen in all but the coldest of climates. I will take the damaged or old leaves off once they start creating their new set in the spring. Compost yearly for a healthier plant. Pair these with ferns and spring bulbs for the perfect woodland look. Low maintenance and deer resistant. USDA zone 4-9
Witch Hazels Hamamellis
If I were to choose a favorite, Hamamellis would stand out as a showcase plant. These shrubs grow in the most wonderful of vase shapes, require little to no pruning and their blossoms are extraterrestrial in shape. They set bloom on bare branches from January to March. Typically, witch hazels bloom a bright yellow but I am more partial to the reds and oranges of ‘Jelana’ and ‘Diane’. With some dramatic backlighting these tree-like shrubs glow in the winter sun. Best sited in full sun they will also do well in a wooded setting with high shade. Mix with natives for a woodland look. Considered Deer resistant and drought tolerant when established. USDA zone 5-8
Silk Tassel Garrya elliptica
Here’s a hard to find broadleaf, evergreen shrub. Silk Tassel makes a great accent anytime of year with its grey-green, wavy leafs. Come winter it sports creamy white, almost silvery catkin like tassels that drip from the bush. Garryas are dioecious, meaning there is a male plant and a female plant. The male version has the long tassels. ‘Evie’ is a variety that has especially long tassels. Native to CA and S. Oregon, Garrya is drought tolerant once established, tolerates most well-draining soil and is deer resistant. Plant in a sunny to part sun location. USDA zone 8
Mahonia Mahonia x media
While there are many varieties of mahonia, Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ is a beautiful winter focal point. Growing up to 10 feet tall this towering shrub will add late fall/early winter interest. Winter Sun produces fragrant yellow flower inflorescences that develop into clusters of waxy blue berries for the birds. Best suited for part-shade. Drought tolerant when established and tolerant of many soil types. USDA zone 7-9
Listed as a GREAT PLANT PICK for maritime NW Gardens
It’s not all about the bloom in the winter garden. To add a bright spot of color to the landscape try using plants with other interest like some dogwoods.
Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ Beginning with beautiful golden foliage in fall and then showing off its orange and crimson stems after the leaves are gone, it is hard to beat this beautiful specimen.
Cornus sericea’ Flaviramea’ A rapid grower with year round interest. The lovely yellow branches are beautiful against a dark background for that spot of winter color.
Cornus alba ‘Bud’s Yellow’ Much like ‘Flaviramea’ but more disease resistant
Cornus sericea Red osier dogwood and Cornus ‘Cardinal’ are both beautiful red stemmed specimens in the winter garden.
Maples can also add a nice touch to the winter garden with their interesting bark.
Acer palmatum ‘Sanga kaku’-commonly called a Coral Bark Maple, this statement tree can make a big splash of winter color. Its truly a beautiful tree year round.
Acer griseum-Paperbark Maple Winter is the time to see the beauty of this slow growing, deciduous tree. The bark is it splendor, peeling papery curls give this tree its name.
Grasses can also look great through the winter months. Consider these two for your garden
Hardy grasses such as Carex ‘Feather falls’ and Red hook sedge Uncinia ‘Belinda’s Find’ are variegated beauties that can add both texture and interest to your garden.
No matter the size of your garden there is always room for a spot of color during the cold dark months here in the PNW to keep your spirits bright. Remember, when choosing a tree or shrub-Right Plant, Right Place.