Thinking of a Winter Garden

~ By Aletha ~

Well with the cold hitting us up here in the Northern Hemisphere we do not think of a winter garden, but we can because we have so many colors to work with, you are probably saying “what colors is she goofy?”; no I am not but lets look at the outside and seeing snow on the ground while standing in front of a favorite window what do we see?

White for snow, brown on the trees with their different color barks; then maybe we have some berry plants and they may be red or blue berries; there might be evergreens with there different shades of green to brown to grey blue. So as you stand inside your house looking out think of planting a winter garden or make room for a winter garden for next year.

Here are some examples of what we can do:

You can plant an American holly bush near a nice tree and look at the texture of the bark's and the holly leaves and the red berries to brighten up that cold grey and blue sky.

Looking out we could have a bench place there near and make a small room maybe near a shed. We can plant a Snowberry it has white berries but put that against a dark trees bark or shed and the white and berries show up nicely.

Then we could have an Eastern Red Cedar whose berries are powdery Periwinkle Blue. The female tree is the one that has the berries and yes they get tall so you have to look at that because it will grow from 40 to 50 feet; but oh so pretty you can use that as a background for a winter room.

Then we have the Northern Bayberry, the berry is a pale blue gray it is a hardy shrub and will really grow in most conditions. Then there is the winter berry the berries are red or yellow and oh how our feathered friends love this one.

These are just a few examples you can use in berries; you can also plant clematis on a trellis whose seed heads can be just as beautiful to your eyes with that dark brown black color against something light or grey.

Then we have some roses that if you do not prune them back you have the lovely rose hips here is a example of some that are really pretty rose hips:

Rugosa rose: this is referred as the sea tomato, for its red patio size hips

Moyes rose: shiny, red 1½-inch-long, bottle-shaped sticks of sealing wax

Chestnut rose: that has yellow orange hips

Let's not forget the Grasses that we could plant that will do well in winter and here are just a few examples:

Tufted Hair Grass: is attractive all year round, forming a mound of foliage about 2 feet tall and wide that will stay green into winter even in colder climates and strong winds.

Northern Sea Oats: is beige by winter. They do well in the winter and are one of the best grasses for a shady area. The plant will do well in average soil with sun part sun or shade.

Feather Reed Grass: have strong thick stalks that will last all winter long, through strong winds and heavy snow.

So these are just a few things you can think of if you do a winter garden, while you sit inside with a cup of hot tea, coffee or cider and look out your windows and see a beautiful Winter garden and your happy feathered friends who will say "Thank You" for thinking of me.

         

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