Cultivating a Beautiful Winter Garden

“Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.” –Pietro Aretino. Winter is a great time to appreciate the garden. While the perennials have died back and it will be months before the first crocus blooms, in winter we see our gardens’ true form. Witness the curve of the path, the arc of a trellis. There’s a quiet elegance in a winter garden.

Shrubs have remarkable beauty. Working as back drops in summer gardens, they take a whole different appearance during the winter. The ones I enjoy the most have evergreen foliage in varied hues, like Euonymus with its bright green leaves and white margins that tint pink during the winter. The White Album^{^®} Wintercreeper is an improved variety with greater resistance to leaf spot! Another favorite this time of year are winter blooming heathers like Erica carnea ‘Vivellii’, a great summer under story plant. They fade into the background, until they explode in a wave of purple/pink flowers that darken to a striking magenta and last throughout the season.

The focal point of my winter garden has to be the Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’, also known as the coral bark maple. A small tree with lime green, deeply lobed leaves that emerge in spring, its edges blush red as the season progresses. The leaves eventually turn yellow, creating a fantastic fall display. Its bark is coral red, deeply intensifying as the temperature drops through winter. It creates a dramatic and tracery display amongst the branches, especially after a light snow. If height is an issue, a similar look can be achieved with a Red Osier Dogwood Arctic Fire^{^®}. Reaching a maximum height of 48” this blast of dark red winter shoots not only look fantastic in any landscape, but can also be used as cuttings for your winter bouquets!