Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 34 views

    3 The Garden in Winter

    Uploaded by

    John Maguire
    This document provides guidance on creating an attractive winter garden through the use of various plant types including evergreen trees and shrubs, plants with colorful bark or berries, and those that bloom in winter. It notes that a combination of coniferous and broad-leaved evergreens provides structure, and that deciduous plants should be placed towards the back with evergreens in the middle and front to hide them when leafless but showcase them when in leaf. Various flowering, fragrant, and architectural plant options are also described that can provide visual interest, scent, or texture in the winter months.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    3 The Garden in Winter

    Uploaded by

    John Maguire
    34 views2 pages
    This document provides guidance on creating an attractive winter garden through the use of various plant types including evergreen trees and shrubs, plants with colorful bark or berries, and those that bloom in winter. It notes that a combination of coniferous and broad-leaved evergreens provides structure, and that deciduous plants should be placed towards the back with evergreens in the middle and front to hide them when leafless but showcase them when in leaf. Various flowering, fragrant, and architectural plant options are also described that can provide visual interest, scent, or texture in the winter months.

    Original Description:

    garden winter

    Original Title

    3 the Garden in Winter

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    This document provides guidance on creating an attractive winter garden through the use of various plant types including evergreen trees and shrubs, plants with colorful bark or berries, and those that bloom in winter. It notes that a combination of coniferous and broad-leaved evergreens provides structure, and that deciduous plants should be placed towards the back with evergreens in the middle and front to hide them when leafless but showcase them when in leaf. Various flowering, fragrant, and architectural plant options are also described that can provide visual interest, scent, or texture in the winter months.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    34 views2 pages

    3 The Garden in Winter

    Uploaded by

    John Maguire
    This document provides guidance on creating an attractive winter garden through the use of various plant types including evergreen trees and shrubs, plants with colorful bark or berries, and those that bloom in winter. It notes that a combination of coniferous and broad-leaved evergreens provides structure, and that deciduous plants should be placed towards the back with evergreens in the middle and front to hide them when leafless but showcase them when in leaf. Various flowering, fragrant, and architectural plant options are also described that can provide visual interest, scent, or texture in the winter months.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Start Gardening Series

    3 The Garden in Winter


    You can enjoy a beautiful garden in the
    winter. The days may be short and the light
    poor, but colourful shrubs, trees, bulbs and
    other plants can liven the dreary winter
    landscape. In addition, the smell of scented
    plants can be especially tantalising at this
    time of the year.
    Leafless trees and shrubs can have attractive
    silhouettes. Plants with coloured bark, such
    as red-stemmed dogwood and mahoganycoloured Tibetan cherry are especially dramatic
    when side or back-lit by low winter sun.
    Plants with many different qualities can provide
    colour and interest to the garden in winter.

    These may have:

    Evergreen or coloured foliage


    Wonderful scent
    Attractively marked or coloured bark
    Coloured berries
    Flowers that open during the winter
    Architectural qualities

    Evergreen plants essential


    A garden composed entirely of deciduous trees
    (which drop their leaves in autumn) will look bare
    and drab in winter. Evergreen plants that hold onto
    their foliage give structure and help to stabilise the
    garden. There are two main types conifers and
    broad-leaved evergreens and both are needed in
    the winter garden.

    Conifers
    In general, conifers such as pine, thuja, cedar, fir and
    spruce, are hardier than broad-leaved evergreens.

    They are especially valuable in cold parts of the


    country. Many conifers are large trees when fully
    grown and make excellent shelterbelts for xposed
    gardens. However, small-growing conifers are also
    available including dwarf pines, ground hugging
    junipers and bush spruces. Your local garden centre
    can advise on suitable species for your locality and
    also on the expected final size of these plants.

    Broad leaved evergreens


    These are also an important component of the
    winter garden. The cheerful shine of holly and
    laurel leaves and the light green of griselinia help to
    make the garden less sombre. Other useful broadleaved evergreens include elaeagnus, pittosporum,
    ivy, euonymus, box and olearia. Some of these
    have varieties with yellow or golden foliage, which
    brighten up the garden during dull winter days.
    Except for dwarf conifers, evergreen plants should be
    located towards the middle or back of the border.
    They will be easily seen in winter when deciduous
    plants are leafless but will be hidden when these
    leaf up in spring. Too many evergreens at the front
    of the border will give a claustrophobic effect.
    While evergreen plants are essential, they must be
    used with restraint. Too many will cut out light from
    the low winter sun and make the garden gloomy.
    An approximate ratio of one evergreen to three
    deciduous plants is desirable.

    Growing the success of Irish food & horticulture

    Start Gardening Series


    3 The Garden in Winter
    Plants with attractive markings or
    coloured bark
    Brightly coloured bark is one of the most valuable
    winter garden resources. Unlike plants that rely on
    flowers or foliage for their beauty, bark is completely
    impervious to weather. Most of the trees and shrubs
    with attractive bark are deciduous so that they are at
    their best in winter when trunk and branches are fully
    exposed. A wide range of bark colours is available,
    e.g. white (birch), mahogany (Tibetan cherry), red
    (arbutus) and cinnamon (Chilean myrtle). Some
    of the best winter colour comes from the stems of
    white willow and dogwood. For the brightest red and
    yellow colour (dogwoods) and purple, red and yellow
    (willow), these plants should be cut down almost to
    ground level each spring.

    Winter flowers
    A wide selection of plants open their flowers during
    the winter months. These include trees, shrubs,
    climbers, herbaceous perennials and bulbs. Winter
    flowering plants should be placed where they can be
    seen from the house. The autumn cherry continues
    to flower spasmodically during the winter whenever
    the weather is mild. Some of the best shrubs include
    daphne, viburnum, winter sweet, witch hazel and
    mahonia. Low growing, winter flowering heathers
    are ideal plants for placing at the front of the border.
    Perennials, such as bergenia, winter aconite and hellebores,
    are also useful for giving colour at a low level. Winter
    jasmine is the best climbing plant for winter flowering.With
    its bright yellow flowers appearing on green branches it is
    ideal for covering unsightly walls. Bulbs, such as snowdrop
    and crocus, are particularly useful for providing intense
    flower colour in the late winter. They can be used at the
    front of mixed borders, naturalised under trees, or in
    ornamental pots, window boxes or other containers.

    Berries and fruits


    Plants bearing berries and fruits can contribute much
    to the garden in early winter. In some areas, birds
    may strip mountain ash and other trees of berries as
    soon as they become ripe. Other plants e.g. skimmia
    and the strawberry tree, seem to have less palatable
    berries and can hold their bright red fruits throughout
    the entire winter in many areas.

    Scent
    Plants with fragrant flowers or leaves give the winter
    garden an extra dimension. The fragrance of a mature
    plant of Daphne bhuloa can waft over a large area on
    still days between January and early March. Other good
    scented plants can be grown in a range of situations
    such as wintersweet (full sun) and sarcococca (shade).
    The best place for scented plants in a small garden
    is close to the house door where both residents and
    visitors can enjoy the fragrance. In larger gardens,
    scented plants should be distributed widely to spread
    the aroma over as large an area as possible. Rosemary
    should be grown close to pathways as scent is emitted
    when passers-by brush the leaves.

    Architectural plants
    Many other plants with architectural qualities or
    attractive foliage can add interest to the garden
    in winter. For example, Fatsia japonica has large
    handsome, glossy leaves and is hardy in most areas.
    New Zealand flax has leathery, strap shaped deep
    green leaves and is a striking architectural plant.
    Hybrids of this plant with variegated or coloured
    leaves are also available but are not hardy in cold
    districts.Visits to local garden centres during the
    winter can be especially rewarding. These will stock
    plants that are hardy in your area and can provide
    sound advice on creating colour and interest in the
    winter garden.

    Growing the success of Irish food & horticulture

    You might also like