During the winter season, we often forget that dormant gardens can be very dynamic despite the snow that covers them. To bring landscaping to life, you must rely on conifers, evergreen shrubs, colorful and textured bark as well as the fruits of certain trees and shrubs. Here are some suggestions to make your garden a lively and attractive place twelve months a year!
1. Plant hardy plants
By opting for hardy plants that do not require any protection to withstand our winters, you will avoid making your landscaping look ugly. Indeed, if you avoid planting hybrid rose bushes and Syrian hibiscus, you will not have to install hideous winter protection every fall.
In addition, to prevent them from bending under the weight of snow and ice, you can cover conifers located under cornices or in places where snow is thrown with a nylon net specially designed for this purpose. END. This net is very discreet and much more aesthetic than a snow fence.
2. Plant conifers and evergreens
Plants grown for their leaves have an advantage over flowering plants in that they remain attractive for longer and generally require less maintenance than the latter. By using conifers, it is even possible to create arrangements that are decorative all year round.
Other plants, such as spindle plant and rhododendrons, have evergreen foliage that is also attractive during the winter season. The evergreen foliage of certain plants has the characteristic of changing color with the arrival of autumn frosts. This is the case of the Black Hat® rhododendron, whose main attraction is revealed towards the end of autumn or the beginning of winter when its foliage turns a very dark bronze. When spring comes, its almost black leaves contrast magnificently with its purple flowers. During the winter period, just as during its flowering period, it forms a striking picture when combined with conifers with golden foliage such as the false Hinoki cypress “Cripsii” or the thuja “Jantar”.
The Black Hat® rhododendron sports bronze, almost black foliage during the winter.
Photo provided by Sooner Plant Farm
3. Plant plants with decorative fruits
Several trees and shrubs produce colorful fruiting which gives a very particular dynamism to landscaping during the winter period.
In addition, the fruits of most of these plants attract birds who readily feed on them. Among the most colorful fruits, let us mention those of the snowberry with round leaves, which are pink, those of the sea buckthorn which are orange, as well as the bright red fruits of the whorled holly.
On the other hand, some plants, such as astilbe, echinacea and hydrangea, also form attractive dry flowers. By not pruning them, you add extra appeal to the winter garden.
Conifers are undoubtedly the most decorative plants during the winter period.
Photo provided by Plants and Health
The fruits of the round-leaved snowberry have a candy-like appearance.
Photo provided by Kristof
4. Plant shrubs with colorful bark
Some shrubs have colorful stems that are very pretty during the winter season. This is the case for several dogwoods, notably the white dogwood “Siberian Pearls” with white fruits tinged with mauve which contrast sharply with its stems whose bark is red. For their part, the blood dogwoods “Midwinter Fire” and “Winter Beauty” have orange branches, while the red osier dogwood “Flaviramea” has yellow stems. Other trees and shrubs, such as the Himalayan birch “Grayswood Ghost”, the Amur cherry, the Japanese koreta “Honshu” and the Tibetan bramble “Silver Fern”, also sport colorful stems of the most decorative.
By regularly cutting back all the old branches of dogwoods, corets and brambles close to ground level, this encourages the growth of new, more colorful stems. This type of pruning can be done every two or three years, early in spring, before the buds open. You must then cut all the branches of the shrubs approximately 5 to 10 cm from the surface of the soil. Once these plants have been pruned, spread compost as well as a slow-release natural fertilizer rich in nitrogen at their base.
Spectacular Bloodhound Dogwood “Midwinter Fire”
Photo provided by Richard Bloom
5. Plant grasses
Above all, don’t forget to integrate grasses into your landscaping. Some, such as calamagrostids and miscanthus, bring enormous interest to the garden in autumn and much of winter, when few plants are attractive. It is at sunrise or sunset, when the wind is light, that these original plants take on their full value.
To ensure that they remain attractive throughout the winter, it goes without saying that you should not cut the stems of grasses in the fall. Left in place, they energize the winter garden and ensure better snow accumulation in the flower beds. Instead, wait until spring to prune your grasses. Carry out this operation very early in April, as soon as the ground thaws, before the new shoots emerge. With shears or secateurs, you must cut all their stems approximately 5 cm from the surface of the soil.
Miscanthus from China “Silberfeder”
Photo Albert Mondor