Ornamental plants in winterwill make our garden warm during this period as well. It can be decorated with red dogwood shoots, magically twisted willow branches, beautifulwinter flowershellebore and witch hazel as well as conifer shrubs with needles of various colors - green, yellowish and blue. Meet the most interestingornamental plants in winterand choose something interesting for your garden!
Decorative plants in winter with twisted shoots - hazel 'Contorta'. From February you can admire its unusually ornamental, oblong, yellow base.
Winter is a time when it is rather gray and sad in our gardens. But does it have to be this way? Of course not. If we want the garden to be beautiful also in winter, the most obvious choice seems to beevergreen shrubs , including coniferous trees and shrubs of various colors and shapes. The taller ones can be a kind of garden Christmas tree, but lower shrubs, such as mountain pine or dwarf varieties of Sabine juniper or Chinese juniper, are no less attractive in this period.
However, there are many more ornamental plants in winter . Today I present a few such winter peculiarities. These are plants that bloom steadfastly in the winter, trees and shrubs with colorful shoots (which can be seen after the leaves fall in autumn) and brightly glistening frosted fruits. This way I hope to convince you that winter and in your garden can be interesting, full of unusual shapes and colors.
Decorative shrubs in winter - twisted branches
Some trees and shrubs that shed their leaves for the winter may look particularly special during this period, because they discover their extremely twisted stems just after the leaves fall. Such plants include hazel 'Contorta', more precisely - bent hazel (Corylus avellana) 'Contorta'. It is a very interesting variety of hazel with twisted stems and leaves. It grows quite slowly. It can be grown in full sun and partial shade. However, cultivation in barren and wet soils should be avoided.
No less attractive are the twisted shoots of the Manchurian willow. It is a fairly fast growing, short tree with a slender habit and unusual spiral twisted shoots. Shoots are yellowish or olive green, often red from the sunny side. Suitable for sunny or slightly shaded positions. Requires permeable, humus, neutral or slightly calcareous soil.
Decorative shrubs in winter - colorful shoots
Trees and shrubs revealing their shoots after the leaves fall may surprise not only with the shape but also with the color of the shoots. The most famous and likedornamental plants in winterthanks to their colorful shoots are dogwood, especially white dogwood (Cornus alba). This species is perfect for sunny and slightly shaded locations. It is worth pruning it strongly every year. Thanks to this, we will get more shoots and the bush will be even more decorative. If we want the shoots to be extremely red, choose the cultivar 'Sibirica', the shoots of which turn red even in a shaded position.
Decorative plants in winter with colorful shoots - white dogwood
Otherplants with red stemsare palm maple (Acer palmatum), Korean barberry (Berberis koreana) or purple willow (Salix purpurea).
Apart from red shoots, yellow or slightly golden shoots are easily noticeable.Such a color of shoots can be observed in the common dogwood (Cornus serices) 'Flaviramea', white willow (Salix alba) 'Vitellina' and 'Chermesina', or broad-leaved linden (Tilia platyphyllos) cultivar 'Aurea'. The shoots of these plants will be clearly visible against the dark background of other shrubs.
We cannot forget about plants with white bark, i.e. birch trees. Species such as Betula utilis are particularly interesting, where not only the bark of the trunk turns white, but also its stems are creamy-white.
"Among theornamental plants in winter with interesting shootsthere are other unusual peculiarities. One of them is the winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus). In autumn, its leaves turn bright red, which makes it a great decoration for autumnal flower beds. After the leaves fall, we can easily observe the unusual property of this species - 4 irregular cork slats run along the shoots of this shrub. It looks really amazing. Hence the winged name."
Finally, it is worth mentioning the balsam ambergris (Liquidambar styraciflua), also known as the American ambergris. With its red or copper foliage it is one of the most beautiful autumn trees. When the leaves fall, we can admire its original corky shoots in the winter. This tree is best grown in acidic soils and sheltered from winds. Unfortunately, long-term frosts can damage even adult specimens, so it is better not to cultivate it in the coldest regions of Poland.
Colorful fruit ornamental plants in winter - barberry
Decorative shrubs in winter - shiny fruit
On many trees and shrubs, after the leaves have fallen, colorful fruits remain for much longer, which shine brilliantly when they freeze a bit. It is worth having bushes with such fruits in the garden not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for the birds in the garden to find some food in winter.
The most striking are the red fruits, which we can admire in winter in the creeping Swedish cotoneaster (Cotoneaster suecicus) 'Coral Beauty', scarlet fire (Pyracantha coccinea), and the very popular Thunberg barberry (Berberis thunbergii).
Thunberg's barberry is a thorny shrub with a domed domed shape, reaching up to 2 m in height. It has relatively low soil, water and site requirements (it can grow in full sun and light shade). It also tolerates air pollution well, which makes it perfect for home gardens in cities. It comes in many interesting garden varieties.
" But of course in winter we can admire not only red fruits. The aforementioned scarlet firethorn also has varieties with orange fruit (variety Orange Glow) and yellow fruit (variety Soleil d&39;Or). Fireplaces like fertile soil and sunny positions. It is best to plant them against southern walls or sunny lawns."
Common mahonia - autumn color of leaves and fruit remaining for the winter
On the other hand, navy blue and blue fruits decorate the common mahogany (Mahonia aquifolium) during the winter.Common mahonia is an evergreen shrub with serrated, shiny leaves. It blooms with gorgeous yellow flowers in late April and May. Its spherical, navy blue-blue fruits remain on the bush until winter. It thrives best in moist, acidic to neutral soils, in shady or semi-shaded positions.
We already had red, orange, yellow and blue fruit. So it's time for purple ones as well. In winter, this color of fruit decorates the shoots of the Callicarpa, also known as the beauty. This plant is not very common in Poland, probably because it can freeze in cold winters (requires covering). It blooms in summer, the flowers are small, star-shaped. In the fall, small, pearl-like fruits, gathered in clusters, appear.They remain on the bush for a long time after the leaves have fallen. The more so that they are not a delicacy of birds, so we do not have to worry that they will be quickly eaten by winged guests.
Winter flowering ornamental plants - white hellebore
Winter flowering ornamental plants
It's a bit harder to findwinter flowering plants . However, there are a few specimens with such an unusual flowering time that are suitable for growing in our climate.
"Already in December, the white hellebore (Helleborus niger), also known as the Christmas Rose, blossoms. It is probably the most popular species of hellebore in Poland, growing up to 30 cm in height. It is an evergreen plant with large leathery leaves. The ideal place for cultivation should be shady, and the soil should be alkaline, humus. Abundant flowering is favored by a mild and sunny winter.
"A less popular flowering plant since December isearly winter flower (Chimonanthus praecox) In milder winters, light yellow flowers with red centers appear on the erect shoots of this shrub, reaching a length of up to 3 meters. These spicy-smelling flower bells are very durable and can stay on branches until the beginning of March. These plants like fertile, calcareous soils and sunny positions, sheltered from the cold winter gusts of wind. Despite the fact that such conditions are ensured, in some parts of the country they may freeze.
Creamy white flowers with an intense fragrance appear in January on the shoots of the Purpusa drywood (Lonicera purpusii). This bushy, dense shrub grows up to 2 meters high and about 3 meters wide. It can be grown in full sun or partial shade. Requires fertile and moist soil.
In February, yellowish, fringed flowers will appear on the shoots of witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis). It is a shrub native to China, with a loose crown and poorly branched shoots.It likes sunny or semi-shaded positions, sheltered from winds, fertile, slightly acid soil. Young specimens need to be protected for the winter.
Ornamental plants in winter - pampas grass
Decorative grasses in winter
Speaking ofornamental plants in winter , we cannot forget about evergreen grasses such as the Japanese sedge (Carex oshimensis) 'Variegata'. In winter, when most of the beds are empty, its narrow leaves with white stripes are especially expressive. This plant likes shaded or shaded positions. It grows perfectly under trees or at the edge of a pond.
The huge pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) also looks particularly beautiful. Its stalks can be up to 2 meters long. In autumn, the wide rosette of equilibrium leaves gives rise to magnificent panicles which, after drying, retain their decorative value throughout the winter. It is best to plant it as a solitaire in well-exposed places.He likes sunny and secluded positions, sheltered from the wind. However, it must be remembered that it can freeze and is suitable for cultivation only in the warmest regions of Poland. Before frost sets in, cover the roots within the rosette of leaves with a 15-20 cm layer of leaves, peat or sawdust.
As you can see, we have at our disposal a number ofornamental plants in winter , which show their unique beauty at this time of the year. The ones I have listed here are just examples. The inquisitive gardener will find many more such specimens. Therefore, I encourage you to look for beautiful plants in winter and plant them in flower beds, so that the garden is always colorful and interesting.
