Winter Plants by KCB

As the Days Grow Longer………

KCB is a professional gardener and friend who does wonderful work in the Greater Portland area. KCB is also an accredited Master Gardener by the Cooperative Extension Service and we are honored to have KCB as part of our Skillin's Garden Log family!

In the first KCB posting (all postings can be found further down the Skillin’s Garden Log) called The Mid-Winter Maddening Mayhem and Mania of a Maine Gardener , KCB describes winter angst and then comes to terms with that angst and recognizes the good parts about January from a gardener’s perspective.

In Red, White and Blue , KCB brings us OUT into January on an auto ride.

In Winter Landscapes KCB brings us back indoors but with an eye to the outside; for the gardener victory is at hand—a winter wonderland of landscaping possibilities awaits.

Now KCB concludes our January trip in the fourth and final January installment by telling us about the winning plants for winter interest. It is time to plan that winter landscape! It is a gardening season that must be recognized, dealt with and as KCB tells us celebrated:

How Exciting……..

As I drove to my ‘other’ job this afternoon, I was able to catch the last glimpse of pink/orange that was the sun. A few minutes shy of 5 o’clock, the realization that the sun had not completely set was enough to cause a ‘jump’ in my heart. You know that feeling; it’s not really skipping a beat, more like it leaped with excitement.

At 11:59 PM this Thursday, we will say good-by to January. February will take hold seconds later. I am so tempted to begin singing the praises of our shortest month; but there is time enough for that. The dusting of snow Portland experienced this weekend reminded me that I have some unfinished business. This will conclude my winter landscaping series.

So many of us are planning the future filled with bold colors with green accents, where butterflies, humming birds and bumble bees frolic. Purchasing plants with next winter’s landscape in mind seems rather dull. Besides who wants to wait a year for a garden to offer excitement? It is only human nature to look for instant gratification. Don’t be fooled! Some of Maine’s biggest snow falls occur in March or April. As your seeds break thru the peat below grow lights, winter still plods on with all the fury she can muster. Might as well enjoy the view!

Ah, do not lose faith. So many of the shrubs listed herein thrive on attention. Not the high maintenance kind of attention, but the ‘hey look at me’ kind of attention. You see, many produce the first flowers of the early season, pushing forth buds and blooms before their foliage wakes.

Blossoms of white, pale pinks, subtle yellows, creams or vibrant reds and pinks share their stage with no one. It’s as if they say ‘Let me be the first to welcome you to spring’, only to bide their time until they can hold their own against the winter landscape.

Red berries do not alone a winter garden make. A landscape of shape, silhouettes & form against the gray white of winter offers restrained solace. Do not overlook the subtle shading, muted colors and texture of bark. While content to stay unnoticed most of the year, overshadowed by their flourishing foliage, the trunk of a tree, or curve of a limb now passively demands attention during this winter time.

As I compiled this list, it seemed just when I thought I was done, another specimen would come to mind. The evergreens so prevalent in the Maine landscape were not included. Greens of silver blue, yellow gold, deep forest and all the hues and shades in between speak for themselves. Once the texture of our spruces, pines, junipers, or cedars is factored in, well, they deserve their own story.

Descriptions of each plant will be broad. Plant tags offer such a plethora of information. Everything you ever wanted to know about shrub, grass, perennial or annual can be found in abbreviated form. Nursery catalogs will become your ‘wish book’. I would be remiss if I didn’t sing the praises of professional nursery or garden center staff. After all, they are gardeners too and are willing to share.

Okay, enough. And the winners are………


Plants & Shrubs that offer Winter Interest

Shrubs/Trees:

Viburnum (American Cranberry Bush, Cardinal Candy, to name just 2)
Winterberry
Red Twig Dogwood
Hydrangea
Common Snowberry
Cranberry Cotoneaster
Washington or Winter King Hawthorne
Weeping Cherry
Weeping Crabapple
Any weeping dwarf species
Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (better in form than function)
Witch Hazel
River or Paper Birch
Paperbark Maple
Threadleaf Japanese Maple

Plants with showy Seed Heads or Pods

Echinacea (Cone Flowers)
Joe Pye Weed
Sedum
Rudbeckia

Movement and/or texture

Ornamental Grasses
Sedges
Russian Sage
Lavender
Heaths & Heathers

There are many others, please feel free to offer your suggestions. See you next month……..

KCB
for Skillin's Greenhouses
January 31, 2008