Gardens With Winter Interest

Gardens With Winter Interest

Winter may be associated with downtime in the garden, but with a little planning you can create a garden with plenty of interest throughout the season. The stripped back nature of winter gardens means it's important to think in terms of structure. Trees with striking bark are a great way to add structure and interest, with Birch trees being particularly popular. Dogwood (Cornus) shrubs have stems in a range of bright colours, from bright red to lime green.Conifers come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, colours and textures. We love to pair contrasting Conifers together in the same bed, such as Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Pembury Blue' and Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Stardust'.

Evergreens are an obvious choice for adding colour and structure in the winter months. Magnolia grandiflora and Prunus lusitanica have rich green glossy leaves, whilst Ilex x altaclerensis 'Golden King' and Cotoneaster 'Juliette' have pretty variegated leaves.

There are a few flowering trees and shrubs in winter. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) have wonderful flowers that come in shades of yellow, orange and red, with the petals resembling crinkled ribbons. Cherry Blossom trees usually flower in spring, but a few varieties including Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis' flower intermittently from November to March.