The Practiced Perennial Gardener

While is always advised to practice  garden tidiness and a thorough fall clearing of dead growth and debris, there are some interesting plants that can be left in place.  If you cut down all the perennials to ground level you are left with nothing but a patch of bare ground.

By leaving some of the plants standing you will add a brand new dimension to your garden… a unique tapestry of plant skeletons,  and seed heads to admire all winter long.  

I will admit winter plants are not as striking as the lush greens and vibrant colors of summer, the perennial winter garden  has a more haunting and subtle look  and should not be ignored by the gardener. Plant forms range from fountains of weathered leaves,  floating sead heads, and the plumes of ornamental grasses. . As the cold weather brings fronst and snow the skeletons will become even more striking as they become adorned with glistneing frost and pure white caps of snow.

Another good reason to leave some selected  perennials in the garden is to attract over-wintering birds. Many perennial seed heads provide our feathered friends with a source of nutrition during a season when food is scarce. There nothing more peaceful than watching sparrows, finches, sparrows and the titmouse dancing around in a snow covered winter garden.   Some of the best varieties to leave for the birds include:

• Asters
• Coreopsis
• Liatris
• Echinacea

Now that we have covered reason to have a winter garden lets explore design elements.

While the selection of perennials for winter  is limited there are some very nice ones that are evergreen and provide a touch of color:

• Ajuga
• Armeria
• Bergenia
• Creeping Phlox
• Christmas Fern
• Blue Fescue
• English Ivy
• Heuchera
• Lavender
• Liriope
• Sedum – ‘Vera Jameson’
• Creeping Thyme
• Vinca
• Yucca

 Hardscapes are a very important part  in the winter garden for providing both structure and focal points.  Rock walls, statues, bird baths, benches and trellises all become  dominant features of an otherwise stark landscape.  Keep winter in mind when you select  the placement of these elements in  into your garden .

Trees,  Evergreens and Shrubs will become the secondary structure of the winter garden.  The best deciduous trees for winter are dwarfs or low growing twiggy types such as Japanese Maple and Dogwoods. The bark of some trees such as Paperbark Birch and Maple look superb in a winter garden.  There’s a wide selections of evergreens to choose from, but again I would suggest the dwarf conifers and cypress as it’s  not a good idea to have large growing pines close to your house. Don’t go overboard with the evergreens just because they will provide greenery during the winter…. after all you will need some space for your flowering plants. 

So know that you know a little more about the advantages of adding winter interest to your garden try to implement these suggetions into your designs. The most beautiful gardens are ones that change with each season and are never bare.

Your email:

 

Filed under: Uncategorized on December 17th, 2009