Colors and fragrances in the garden in winter

Winter colors:

Persistent green or variegated foliage but not evolving.
Fruits.
Winter flowering of shrubs or plants, perennials or bulbs, some of which are fragrant.
See in the appendix a non-exhaustive list of interesting plants.

Evergreen foliage

The evergreen green or variegated foliage retains a mass of color but which does not change over time.
To limit the effect of monotony, do not need more than 10% of the total evergreen and not too much variegation.

Colorful fruits:

Very well known as cotoneaster or pyrancanthas, ornamental apple trees are interesting but lack a little originality. They can be supplemented by other less widespread species such as sacred bamboo or European charcoal.
They are very interesting, because in addition to their decorative effect, they attract birds and feed them during the winter.
Warning, although birds eat these fruits, some are poisonous or very poisonous such as Daphne sp.

Fragrant flowering plants

Some have against it, the fact that the perfumes have difficulty in expressing themselves when it is cold and sometimes they are not very spectacular but very fragrant like the Chimonanthus praecox which judiciously placed, these blooms will seduce the visitor.
They also appeal to pollinating insects which overwinter as adults, honey bees, but also hoverflies and lacewings which take advantage of this to replenish their reserves of pollen and nectar which they store in their crop.

Conclusion

Especially not to be forgotten when installing a garden, winter decoration plants are part of the range of plants to be well placed.
The interest is to distribute the decorative effects well over time in order to have a living garden, for our pleasure and also for the fauna, birds, insects and even small rodents.
It is also important to know when and how to prune these shrubs so as not to export and lose the flowering to come.

Annex

Decorative fruits:

Callicarpa bodinieri, beautiful bright purple fruits.
Cotoneaster sp various, cotoneaster. Red fruits.
Crataegus sp, various hawthorns, Martin pear. Edible red fruits.
Danae racemosa, Alexandrian laurel. Poisonous red fruits;
Euonymus europeus, European charcoal, bishop’s cap toxic pink and yellow fruits.
Ilex aquifolium, and varieties, Holly in varieties. Red fruits, sometimes yellow, poisonous.
Malus in varieties. Ornamental apple trees with red fruits and young edible but very acidic and sometimes astringent.
Nandina domestica, sacred bamboo, fruits in bright red very persistent cymes. Toxic.
Ruscus aculeatus, butcher’s broom, holly. Toxic red fruits.
Ligustrum (above all japonicum), privet (from Japan more interesting). Black fruits in toxic clusters.
Mespilus germanica, Medlar trees of Europe. Astringent brown fruit turning soft with frost.
Pyracantha ssp, Burning bush. Yellow to red fruits.

Unscented flowers:

Erica carnea varieties, hardy heather in red to white bloom all winter. Very melliferous.
Jasminum nudiflorumNudiflorous jasmine, drooping yellow.
Helleborus Niger (perennial), Christmas rose, white flowers in winter.
Crocus ssp, Spring crocus. Young or purple colors.
Galanthus nivalis, real snowdrop. Bulbous plant. White flowers often under the snow.
Leucojum vernum, snowdrop, false snowdrops. White flowers marked with a green spot at the end of the tepals.

Scented Flowers:

Chimonathus praecox, chimonanthe formerly called calycanthe, not very decorative but very fragrant. To be positioned near a passage, a door or a window.
Choisya ternata, Mexican orange tree. White flowering between November and April depending on the year.
Daphne mezereum, (acid soil) nice wood, pink flowers fragrant poisonous end of winter.
Daphne odora (frost), fragrant pink flowers. Toxic.
Daphne cneorum, under shrub fragrant, pink, poisonous late winter flowers.
Lonicera fragantissima, Non-climbing shrub honeysuckle with very fragrant winter white flowers.
Mahonia japonica ‘Hivernant’, mahonia with beautiful winter yellow flowering, compact form.
Mahonia X media ‘Charity’, hybrid mahonia M. japonica erect form with little branching.
Hamamelis mollis, original flowering in winter yellow to red.
Sarcococca ruscifolia, evergreen foliage resembling Danae racemosa, fragrant white flowering in winter, black fruits.
Viburnum fragans (syn. farreri), fragrant viburnum, flowering in small fragrant pink bouquets between November and March.
Viburnum X media ‘Bodnantense’, Mahonia X Charity, Bodnant viburnum, looks like V. Fragans. Viburnum tinus, tin laurel, blooms between November and April, blooms fragrant flank.

Listen to the Sunday morning gardening show on France bleu Isère from 9 am to 10 am. You can call to ask your questions or give an opinion on 04 76 46 45 45.