I used to hate winter because it seemed to come only in black, white and shades of gray with a bit of brown thrown in - and an occasional evergreen tree. Now I love black - it's one of my wardrobe staples - slimming and sophisticated. But that's when I'm wearing it - not nature. Nature needs color, unless you are a complete minimalist. Otherwise it can get depressing.
But a few years ago I started taking winter tramps around the garden and realized that there was actually come color out there. It's just that it was scattered around so that no one could really appreciate it. That's when I began planning a garden that could be seen from my window that would be as colorful as possible all winter long.
I began with "the bones" as designers love to call those permanent elements that will give your garden some structure and design even when blanketed in snow. I chose evergreens that weren't green. Check your local nursery and you'll find junipers, spruces and other evergreen trees -some dwarf and so small enough for even a tiny garden, that come in gold, silver, blue, or even variegated. I'm especially fond of those in gold, as they add real warmth to a gloomy day.
Think about these blanketed in snow and arrange them so that your garden will look interesting even then. Choose a tall, spire-like one, maybe a round mounded one and then a groundcover type and you will have interesting shapes and arrangements even when we can't see anything else.
I filled in around my "evergolds" with shrubs that have brightly colored twigs. Some of the shrub dogwoods are famous for this, with twigs that turn bright red or gold in winter. A few new varieties are especially fabulous because they resemble flames - deep red at the base turning to orange and then yellow. Talk about a warming sight! Another great tree is the coral bark maple which has a trunk and branches that truly are bright coral and very cheerful in winter. Blue Arctic Willow is a soft blue color with a fine texture in summer and violet twigs in winter. All of these can add winter color, texture and structure in the winter garden.
But surprise! Have you any idea how many perennials are actually evergreen - or maybe ever-red or purple? I first realized this with heaths and heathers that have colored foliage - reds, oranges, gold and bronzes - and, as a bonus flower in the dead of winter. It was because I went out to inspect these - the tiny flowers can be really appreciated best close up even though you can see all the color easily from the warmth of indoors. And so, rambling around looking at these I noticed my heuchera, which was still purple and silver. Candytuft also stays evergreen and forms appealing mounds all winter. The botanical name for these is Iberis sempervirens - and sempervirens means evergreen. A good clue when hunting out plants good for all seasons.
Lavender is a good plant for all seasons. Not only is it heavenly when in bloom - great for drying, making sachets and potpourri and more, but the leaves are scented as well as the flowers - and stay shrubby and silvery all winter long. I love Lavendula angustifolia 'Hidcote' for its deep purple flowers, but if you prefer a mistier pastel summer garden L. 'Munstead' is perfect, with flowers of true lavender.
One of my all-time favorite plants is the hellebore. They are evergreen, with shiny green leaves and flowers that start very early - I had one in bloom in February this year. The blooms hold on for a very long time - months - and the faded petals will sometimes face to ivory green and remain on the plant all summer. A perfect plant in my estimation and I grow tons of them. H. niger 'Buis' is a true early bloomer with flowers of pristine white. H. niger is the one often referred to as 'the Christmas rose.' H. orientalis is the Lenten rose and blooms a bit later. Our Sunshine Mix provides a nice variety of colors from white through specked to deep reds and purples. H. 'Ballard purpurescens' is a stunning deep burgundy that really stands out against the snow, while H. 'Ballard red' is a cheerful red specked flower - no two flowers ever quite the same. And if you really want to make a winter splash, try Double H. Orientalis mix - twice the petals and more than double the impact. Truly like little roses.
Perennial geraniums also remain green most of the season at least through zone 6. Try G. 'Amy Doncaster' for winter color and blue flowered with white eyes in summer.
And don't forget that while Oriental poppies are well known for their early summer show, they start sending lovely silver green foliage up in autumn that looks fresh all winter. P. 'Pink Ruffles' is an especially nice choice in a beautiful pink with lavishly fringed edges. Or, for real splash the scarlet P. 'Brilliant'.
Don't forget the ornamental grasses. While they don't stay green, they do turn interesting colors in the cold, from buff color to rose and interesting plumes of seed heads that stay graceful all winter. I cut mine down in early spring, but leave then in winter both for the structure they provide and the fact that they provide food for the birds. An especially good grass (Perennial Plant Association's Plant of the Year a few year's back) is Feather Reed Grass 'Karl Foerster'.
And don't forget groundcovers. While they won't be visible in snow, they can add brightness to the garden on other days. And the prediction in many parts of the country is that we won't have a lot of snow this winter - so may as well go for something splashy on the ground such as bright red Sedum spurium 'Dragon's Blood' or Epimedium x youngianum roseum which has delicate pale green leaves all year.
One other plant that may add a splash of brightness to your winter garden is Iris foetidissima commonly known as the stinking iris - but don't let that scare you. It's grown not for its flowers but for the brilliant red seed heads that open up in fall. If your birds aren't too hungry, the show can go on for quite some time.
It pays to keep your eyes open as you walk around in winter - you may be amazed at the number of plants that stay green or even change colors and turn purple or red when the cold hits. If you keep a list of these, and plant the ones that are hardy for you, you can actually have a garden that is colorful even on the dreariest days in the deep of winter.
