Plants for Winter Interest - In a Master Gardener's Yard

White birch

From a Franklin County Master Garden blog entry in February, 2012

In planning her garden, Master Gardener Iris Masters included plants that would provide winter interest: birch trees, Japanese andromeda, Oregon grape holly, magnolia and cypress trees, nandina and crape myrtle.

Iris and I took a turn ‘round the yard through the season’s first snow flurries and I snapped some photos. I missed the hawk roosting in the birch (Betula jacquemontii) but captured the contrast of the tree, listed as the whitest one available, against the evergreens.

The Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica) provides a bright greeting near the front door. The Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium) displays its yellow-green holly leaves.

Magnolia tree

Iris’ landscape plan provided shelter from winter winds for the large magnolia shown above in the front yard which holds its deep green all winter.

Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) is not a true bamboo but a member of the barberry family. The berries are beautiful but they are not as popular with birds as holly berries although mockingbirds and others will eventually eat them.  The Hinoki cypress tree (Chamaecyparis obtuse ‘Kosteri’) has beautiful form and evergreen foliage.

Crape Myrtle

The crape myrtle (Lagerstromea x ‘Zuni’) with beautiful lavender flowers provides striking seed pods that reach toward the sky.

Other yards around Penn National show winter landscape interest using ornamental grasses, unusual evergreen specimens, or bark as well as trees placed so their winter-bare branches create eye-catching silhouettes.

Barberry

Although the red-berried bushes of Barberry (Barberry vulgaris) really add to the landscape of this white house with red shutters, this is an invasive PA plant. Choose Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) as a substitute.

When there’s a break in winter weather, take a turn around your yard and see what you have and when those post holiday plant and seed catalogues start coming perhaps plan to add something in the coming year for next winter.

Check out the eBlog FRANKLIN COUNTY (PA) GARDENERS for many more Winter Interest plants. 

 https://franklincountymgs.blogspot.com/2014/12/revisit-winter-blogs-of-interest.html

~ Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

Plants for Winter Interest - Miscanthus

Sun Perennial Demo Garden-Jan. 2021

Tall grasses add structure and interest to the winter garden. Most common is Miscanthus which has approximately 20 different species. The name comes from the Greek mischos meaning “stalk” and anthos, “flowers.” This refers to the tiny flowers on its tall plumes. There are a variety of sizes and foliage that can fit in most landscapes. Miscanthus sinensis [miss-KANTH-us sih-NEN-sis] is also known as Maiden Grass.

Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus'
CC BY-SA 3.0 (N. Nagel)

Allowing frost-killed grass to remain throughout the dormant season, its buff-colored foliage, stalks, and airy, plumed seed heads provide striking winter interest. The plumes shimmer in winter sunlight and the slightest breeze will add movement to the landscape. Tall varieties are excellent for mass planting and screens that last into winter. The plumes are excellent in dried flower arrangements.

The plant prefers full sun, tolerates moist soils and is relatively pest- and disease-free. It is highly salt tolerant which makes it an excellent choice along sidewalks, driveways and roadways. It is important to note that Miscanthus can become INVASIVE. Some cultivars produce many seeds and heavy mulching helps prevent germination and prevents the plant from becoming invasive. 

Arriving in late summer, the  airy, plumed seed heads endure from August until late January or longer. Cut foliage down in late winter or early spring before, or just as, new blades appear.

One variety, Miscanthus giganteus, a perennial grass hybrid, is being researched at OHIO UNIVERSITY as a possible option for a bio-fuel. 

[ https://www.dispatch.com/article/20160318/NEWS/303189757  ]  

More information on Miscanthus sinensis at NORTH CAROLINA EXTENSION

[  https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/miscanthus-sinensis/ ]

~ Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

Plants for Winter Interest - Lavender

Bright gray mounds of Lavender stand out- Jan 2021

Lavender (Lavendula sp.) is usually thought of as a seasonal perennial, prized for its beautiful and fragrant blooms. But checking the Franklin County Herb Demonstration Garden in January I discovered that the bright gray, over-wintering plants in our Fragrance Bed are quite the eye-catchers.

Basket of Lavender flowers (Photo: B. Petrucci)

Lavender needs sun and a well-drained site to thrive. Our herb garden is in raised beds in full sun all day so it is a perfect site for lavender. It is especially important, when planting, to consider the winter conditions. Snow will provide water to the plant, but excessive amounts can waterlog it. Don’t place it where the shovel or snow blower will cover it. Consider what sun it will receive in winter.

During the growing season deadheading after first bloom can promote re-blooming. Use this as a chance to start to shape the plants into rounded mounds. A rounded shape will  minimize damage by snow and ice. As summer comes to a close, stop harvesting. The plant will go dormant, but the silvery foliage will remain and stand out.

~ Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

Are you interested herbs? Check out the Herb Sampler at this Blog  POST : [  gardenandlifenotes.blogspot.com/2021/01/herb-sampler-my-book.html  ]

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon at this LINK. [ https://www.amazon.com/Herb-Sampler-Second-Carol-Kagan/dp/1482067463  ]

Plants for Winter Interest: Coral Embers Willow

 

Coral embers willow (Salix alba ssp. vitellina 'Britzensis') - nothing special in the gardening' world, just a fast-growing, hardy, colorful shrub for a large area - is a real delight this time of year.

When the leaves fall in autumn, it shows off its branches for the winter: yellow, orange, red in varying degrees all over...and it really stands out in a winter landscape.  Add some snow and you will really appreciate it.

It's inexpensive to buy, it's vigorous (grows 2-3 feet a year), gets large (my 9 year old specimen reached about 13 feet this year), gets woody (you need to trim it back), serves as a great nesting place for all kinds of wildlife (I've seen it all), and looks really cool when it snows especially.

It serves as a great screen shrub, and you can pick it out in the winter from quite a distance (if you happen to have trouble finding your house).

Important:  it needs to be trimmed back as far as possible into the current year's wood EVERY year, or it gets very large.  So, in Feb-Mar, before leaves start to come out, go out and trim everything but an inch of the colorful stems off.  The new growth will start from here, and the further you cut it back, the more colorful it will be the next winter.

Here's a way to propagate: Put your cuttings in a bucket of water and once they root, plant them in the ground, and they seem to do just fine.  They are not fussy about soil, like sun, and after a year will start giving you a colorful winter backdrop.

Captured from a previous post by Jerry Lewis, Master Gardener (January 2013)

CKagan, Master Gardener

Plants for Winter Interest: Harry Lauder Walking Stick

Harry Lauder Walking Stick in Winter

Tree/shrub

Perennial
Growth: to 10 ft.
Culture: Sun to partial shade; drought tolerant
Flowers: Unremarkable
Grown for unusual twisted, corkscrew branches
Hardy: Zones 4b-8 (Franklin County is Zone 6b)
Winter interest plant
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This intriguing shrub (Corylus avellana 'Contorta') lends plenty of winter interest when sited to show off its silhouette with twisted, corkscrew branches. Every Harry Lauder's Walking Stick was propagated from a single plant that was discovered in an English hedgerow in the 19th century.  When planning your landscape changes, consider this plant for sites that will show off its winter interest.

Not its best feature, it does have textured green leaves that fade to pale yellow in fall. Hardy in zones 4B-8, it has a slow growth rate and can reach 10’. It has a high tolerance for drought, likes sun or part shade and does well in most soils.

A member of the hazel family, it produces flowers called catkins which may hold on into winter, though it does not produce nuts. Usually grafted onto Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna) rootstock, gardeners need to prune off any suckers to prevent the plant reverting to the rootstock characteristics.

Icy coating is beautiful winter display.

You want to know why the name, don’t you? Presumably it was named after Harry Lauder, an early 20^th C. English vaudevillian who carried a crooked walking stick with him on stage. In real life, he also collected crooked walking sticks which were sold at auction for very high prices. Check out this link [CANES] to see some of his canes and walking sticks.