Delightful Gardens - Even in the Midst of Winter

.
Winter doesn’t need to be a boring time in the garden. Changing seasons gives you a chance to appreciate the details in your garden landscape that you often miss once the leaves are out.
A few winter stars will take center stage and look best against snow and blue skies:
.

.

Start with one or several blue-silver Colorado Spruce and, trees with colourful or tactile bark: Paperbark Maple, Paper Birch, colored-twig Dogwoods, a Crab Apple or Strawberry Tree will act as an anchor for the rest of the planting.

Mid-level shrubs that are blooming in Winter such as Witch Hazel or shrubs with berries: Winter Berries or interesting evergreen leaves such as Boxwood, Ilex / Holly or Bay Laurel can be a fantastic underplanting.

Low-growing ground cover such as Snowdrops, Lenten Rose, Crocus and Winter Aconite or foliage such as Bergenia Cordifolia should be planted in generous numbers, anywhere from fifteen to thirty young plants at least to make an impact. The same is true for other plants and shrubs: as more are planted from one type as greater the visual epiphany.
.

.
Prepare Your Garden for Winter and Spring

• Don’t cut down late fall blooms, especially not Sedum Autumn Joy or ornamental grasses. They are show pieces in frost and snow.
• In areas where it snows all winter, all the available water can freeze, which makes finding drinking water a challenge for birds. Ensure regular visits from a variety of birds by using a bird bath with a warmer, or even a simple heated dog bowl to provide a steady source of water.
• Plant lots and lots of bulbs, fifty to ninety of each for Daffodils, Tulips, Allium etc. 

.

Have a look at winter garden images on Houzz.

And if you live in the UK, don’t miss to visit these gardens in Winter, recommended from The Guardian:

Cambridge University Botanic Garden
A south-facing valley makes the most of the winter light.

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey, Kent
Features more than 650 plants that shine in winter.

Wakehurst Place, West Sussex
Beautiful winter beds and a host of witch hazels and daphne.

Bodnant, Conwy, Wales
A winter garden that opened in 2012 is already captivating visitors.

Fabulous Fall Color Perennials

.
Annual flowering plants have a finite life: they are called annuals, since they complete their life cycle in September, latest early October of each year.   So, think about Fall colors in early Spring, before you even plant your seasonal Summer blooms.  They look great, not only in flower beds but also in containers:
.
Sedum Autumn Joy.
.

.
This lovely plant produces a broad flower in a variety of colours that cover the range between pink / red / bronze and magenta. They work well in containers and certainly in the garden where butterflies will find them.
.

Chrysanthemums.
.

.

The introduction of Belgian Mums means you can now purchase the most gorgeous new varieties for less than the old-fashioned ones and with an amazing amount of flowers. You can’t get better value in Fall for your bucks than that. In cool weather, they last up to six weeks.  They tolerate early-season frost, and with some luck, they may come back next year.  Plant them later in garden beds and give it a try. Most of the time I could get some of them back, blooming in next years season, albeit with a bit less blooms than in the first year - or I should have added more compost to their soil…

If you have a chance to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden or Longwood Gardens south of Philadelphia, you will be overwhelmed by the beauty of their Chrysanthemums.

.
Roses.
.

.
Rose bushes generally bloom a second time - provided you cut their first flowers immediately after . Fall Rose blossoms lasts much longer than the spring production, due to the cool temperatures this time of year. There are often great deals on Rose bushes in Fall at plant retailers.  All you have to do is prepare the soil with lots of triple mix and plant them. Shrub Roses such as Rosa Rosae will survive the Winter without protection, but many others need to be mounded up with soil or mulch about 30 centimetres in late Fall.

.
Ornamental Grasses.
.

.

They always look best in autumn, when they have the most attractive seed heads that you can imagine, swaying in the breeze. Come winter, the seed heads are frequented by Chickadees and Sparrows. Watch out when you are buying ornamental grasses, make sure that you choose the clumping varieties and not the ones that travel by roots and rhizomes around your yard and under your fence to the neighbours.

.
See at HGTVgardens webpage photos of 27 ideas for using fabulous Chrysanthemums indoors and out.  And don’t forget to plant bulbs for Daffodils, Tulips, Crocus and other early Spring flowers - before the first frost comes up.

<><><><><>