As a gardener, I enjoy growing plants, shrubs and trees that hold their own in providing beauty over our long New England winters. I’m charmed by the sight of evergreen boughs covered with snow, bright berries clinging to shrubs and the delicate tracery of bare tree branches.
The problem is that I’ve never had much interest in winter. Even as a child, I had little enthusiasm for outdoor cold-weather activities. While my rosy-cheeked friends frolicked in the snow, enjoying ski trips or skating parties, I preferred the warmth and comfort of my mother’s kitchen and a good coloring book. The only thing I learned to do well in the snow was falling on my derriere and so, not surprisingly, sledding became my only winter sport – at least with that I was able to remain safely seated!
In later years, as a working mom, winter became the season of the dreaded drive. Not only was taxiing my children around a challenge but commuting to work on snowy and icy roads felt at times downright life-threatening. With its constant struggles, winter was the season to get through as quickly as possible on my way to spring!
It has taken me much of my life, but I think I’ve finally made peace with winter. Through my love of gardening and nature, I’ve learned to value all that winter has to offer. Today, I find winter to be a season of peace and rest, the pause at the end of one growing season and the beginning of another. It’s a time to look forward, to dream and plan!
Next door – The old mill in winter (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Winter is also a season of such stark beauty that any color in the landscape immediately draws my eye and helps me truly appreciate all the wonders that the other seasons bestow in joyful abundance.
Winter moss and lichen (Photo by Nancy Marrie Allen)
As I look out at my sleeping gardens in January, pared down to their very bones yet holding the promise of life just beneath the surface, I find that perhaps winter holds plenty of interest for me after all.
Winter interest in the yard and garden can be many things. For some, it’s as simple as a piece of standing sculpture, an archway or a birdbath decorated with evergreens. For others, it can be rugged conifers or bare trees with striking bark or branch patterns. Left standing in the garden, dried flowers, seed heads, pods and tall grasses add drama when they catch the first snow. Creating interest is all about drawing our winter-weary eyes to something beautiful in the landscape, but many of the plants and shrubs we grow can also be used in crafting wreaths, swags and seasonal arrangements.
Dogwood branches and berries in holiday arrangements (Photo by Proven Winners)
I’m fortunate to have quite a bit of winter greenery around my yard. There are several large rhododendrons, mountain laurel and andromeda shrubs. Hemlocks and Eastern white pines grow everywhere and range from huge trees towering in height to round little youngsters just filling out and perfectly sized for outdoor pots. I use the evergreen branches of all of these for fresh holiday decorations; but next year I’d like to add some bright colors to my winter landscape, not only to create more interest outdoors but to add some excitement indoors as well.
Dried astilbe flowers and winterberry sprigs in a simple potted arrangement (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
Since deer love to browse on holly in my area, I have to look elsewhere for those bright pops of color. One hardy native shrub that is deer-resistant and produces abundant berries is the deciduous holly, ilex verticillata, commonly known as Winterberry. Some varieties to consider are ‘Berry Heavy’ and ‘Berry Heavy Gold’ which grow to about six feet or ‘Berry Poppins’ which grows to about four feet tall. These female winterberries need a male pollinator such as ‘Mr. Poppins’ planted nearby to ensure lots of colorful berries come fall.
‘Berry Heavy Gold’ (Photo by Proven Winners)
Native to North America and deer-resistant, dogwoods make a bold statement in the winter landscape. Red-twig dogwood ‘Arctic Fire’ is another deciduous shrub whose stems turn a fiery red in fall and winter. Its cousin, cornussanguinea ‘Arctic Sun,’ produces stems in shades of coral, orange and gold. These remarkably bright shrubs actually benefit from the yearly pruning that takes place when we gather their branches for holiday decor. Super hardy, they’re also tolerant of some shade and a wide range of soils. They also easily fit into smaller yards and gardens at three to five feet tall.
Cornus ‘Arctic Sun’ (Photo by White Flower Farm)
Evergreen Pieris or Lily of the Valley Shrub is one of my winter favorites and a new kid on the block has recently caught my eye. Becoming available from Proven Winners in 2020, ‘Interstella’ is described as a compact variety that blooms in late winter with abundant dark pink dangling flowers. ‘Interstella’ is also deer-resistant, very shade tolerant and hardy to zone 5. If you’d like to learn more about growing Pieris, check out my earlier blog https://nancymarieallen.com/pieris-a-shrub-for-all-seasons.
‘Interstella’ Lily of the Valley Shrub is a late winter beauty! (Photo by Proven Winners)
These are only a small sampling of the many varieties of plants and shrubs that can brighten our winters inside and out with their beauty. I’m looking forward to adding a few to my own yard this spring and hope I’ve inspired you to do the same!
The dangling flower buds and shiny leaves of this old-variety Japanese Pieris are stunning combined with other greens in holiday arrangements (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)
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