Winter is a sad time for gardeners. It’s the end of the beauty that you spent so much time and effort on through most of the year. Not only is it the end, but now it is time to cover it up with mulch and watch absolutely nothing happen for months.
Winter doesn’t have to be this way at all. There are many plants that will help keep your garden beautiful throughout the winter. Some even offer a more enchanting atmosphere when the snow falls and they are covered with that beautiful white blanket that we all know and love about winter.
Witch Hazel
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Witch hazel, with its spiderlike blooms of red, yellow or orange actually offers up a spectacular backdrop for smaller evergreens. The unique way that it can grow almost horizontally with its wiry branches makes for an amazing structure that captures the eye when covered in snow.
Mahonias
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Mahonias offer deep green leaves, sweet scented yellow flowers and blue-tinged berries that add color to an otherwise colorless garden. They make an excellent addition to witch hazel as a backdrop.
Hellebores
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Hellebores flower from midwinter to mid-spring creating these wonderful clumps of evergreen perennials. They grow in light shaded areas and good soil. Hellebores make great ground covers for beds. The mauve-flowered iris and white-veined leaves of marmoratum also make gorgeous additions to your winter garden. Geraniums, when pruned properly, have lovely deep green leaves all year adding a wonderful contrast to snow.
Crabapple
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Grasses like crabapple also make a lovely ground cover. They can help replenish nutrients in your soil and keep the roots of your various other plants warm during freezes.
As you can see, there are several different ways to liven up your winter garden while allowing for both beauty and practicality. In a world where most gardens lay dormant, yours can embrace the beauty of winter and nourish your soil. Adding these rich colors to an otherwise white bed brings such a wonderful contrast to the doom and gloom that we normally associate to winter. Your garden can be enchanting and you will want to spend time out there even in the cold.
