If you love your garden, then it's especially difficult to leave it behind when winter arrives. All the beautiful plants that added so much of your special charm and warmth to the landscape have vanished, and the bare and gloomy landscape just isn't appealing at all. Snow is no substitute for a hedge of glamorous roses or a group of colorful annual blooms. This doesn't mean that lovely garden features are not possible to achieve in the Winter!
There is another way to keep some greenery, color and beauty in the garden. You can plant a group of evergreen shrubs that will provide winter interest first of all, because they don't lose their leaves in the fall, and second of all because they are interesting and attractive throughout the winter.
Moreover, some other plants will provide you with winter interest as they continue to look beautiful in your garden despite the winter season. The good news is that once you see them, you'll also be able to see why these plants are great winter performers and why they are worth including in your garden.
1. Holly
Hollies are excellent wintering plants for colder gardening areas and can be tough as nails when it comes to hardiness. Holly is a tough plant that flourishes in many climates, but there are a few winterization tips to remember when caring for holly plants. Place the holly in a sunny location and fertilize it just before the ground freezes. Remove any diseased or damaged leaves from the plant.
2. Witch Hazel
Witch hazel, or Hamamelis, is a lovely plant that is often used in the winter garden. The witch hazels, genus Hamamelis, are hardy deciduous shrubs or small trees with oval, toothed leaves and yellow flowers in the winter or early spring. Witch hazel is not cold-hardy enough for outdoor use in extreme colder climates. They typically thrive between zones 5-8. However, it produces handsome plants for the conservatory and greenhouse.
3. Hellebores
Hellebore is a winter-blooming evergreen perennial that grows as a low-growing ground cover. They are strong bloomers and are a wonderful choice to brighten up an area. They look great in woodland gardens, as well as the mixed container or cut flower arrangements. Helleborus can survive soggy soil and is hardy to the low temperature of -15. It is tolerant of shade and part-shade, although bright light and full sun favor more blossoms.
4. Dogwood
Dogwood plant is best for the winter season in the garden. Cornus is a genus of about 30–60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods, which can generally be distinguished by their blossoms, berries, and distinctive bark. Prune your dogwood tree late in the year to prepare for winter. Use a saw or pruners to cut off any broken limbs. Remove any dead branches or overgrown sections. Prune your tree or shrub into a compact shape to allow for easy covering when freezing temperatures arrive.
5. Birch
Birch plant is best for the winter season in the garden. Birch trees provide wood, bark, and extracts that are used in many commercial endeavors throughout the world. In particular, the bark of the birch tree has been used to make canoes, bowls, and housing because it's light, flexible, and waterproof. However, birches also serve an important purpose in the home landscape since their distinctive white or silver bark provides a vivid contrast to other trees with darker barks and foliage. While these tough trees may survive most growing conditions and climates with little care, they do require well-drained soils that remain cool and moist, but where the tree will also receive full sunshine on its leaves for much of the day. Excellent locations for placement of birch trees in the landscape generally are found on the east and north sides of a home where the building provides afternoon shade.
6. Juniper
Junipers make good choices for growing in a garden in the winter because they are very tolerant plants, and their shape makes them very decorative. Juniper is one of the most popular coniferous plants to use in the landscape because of its many varieties, including evergreen and deciduous shrubs. Besides adding color and interest to a winter landscape, junipers are hardy, easy to grow, and tolerant of most soil types and conditions. Most junipers also have a pleasant aroma when crushed. If you've got an open area in your yard that you'd like to fill up with greenery, consider planting some junipers in this spot. You'll be happy with what they do.
7. Arborvitae
In late winter to mid-spring, the arborvitae produces tiny, yellowish-green flowers in flattish, terminal clusters (3–6" long). The Arborvitae tree is a popular tree due to its fast-growing ability and compact shape. There are three main types, white, green, and golden, that vary in growth speed and size. Fertile female flowers give way to small purplish seed cones from late summer through autumn. Nonfertile female flowers give way to borderless, white to brown seed-like strobila. Each strobilus consists of distinct scales that appear individually at the end of a slender stalk. Strobili are persistent until early spring.
8. Winterberry
Winterberry makes a good landscape plant, ornamental, and food source for native songbird populations. Winterberry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub growing 3 to 8 ft tall. It produces its best ornamental display when grown with several others, even in a landscape situation. It grows best in wet soils, swampy conditions, or areas with high humidity. They're deciduous shrubs that drop their leaves seasonally, therefore not requiring any pruning to maintain the shape of the shrub once the shrub is established. In wintertime, the shrub can be bare and still appear lush, though it will not look like a full bush until new leaves emerge in spring.
9. Boxwood
Boxwood is beautiful, low-maintenance, landscaping shrubs that are used in gardens and yards. They are long-lived evergreen, require little care, and can be used as foundation plants and hedges along walkways or to create an interesting focal point in the garden. Boxwood shrubs are a great choice for winter and here's why:
1. They add interest to the winter landscape with evergreen, ornamental foliage
2. The boxwood has a dense, bushy form that is pleasing to look at in the wintertime
3. Some boxwoods have small pinkish or lavender flowers in the spring
4. It provides an excellent foundation plant for large shrub borders
10. Cypress
Cypress plants are evergreen trees, but unlike most other conifers, they lose their leaves in the fall. They drop the deciduous brown leaves on the ground as early as September or October, exposing the pale reddish or purplish trunks to the weather. Cypress plant is best for the winter season in the garden. Cypress plant meanings have positive, hopefully, a rich and meaningful reference to the life and the universe around us. Each cypress tree has its unique meaning, no two are ever the same. This can look very beautiful. Along with their summertime lush appearance and tropical-looking foliage, these trees add an exotic feel to any landscape whether it is a secluded backyard garden or a large-scale resort area.
What Benefits Do Winter Interest Plants Have?
Winter interest plants are a choice for gardeners who want their outdoor spaces to be used more than 12 months of the year. This is a very popular option for creating an all-weather, four-season landscape.
Plants that provide winter interest in the garden are important for several reasons:
To extend the garden season from fall to spring.
To provide winter interest when there is little or no color from other plants.
To provide winter shelter and food for birds and other wildlife.
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