How to Add Winter Interest in the Garden

It’s easy to feel gloomy and depressed at this time of year, looking out onto a soggy lawn and muddy flower beds. Everything seems to be grey and there’s very little going on to entice you outside. Until the first shoots of the daffodils come in late February or early March, there’s not a lot to see in most gardens. This needn’t be the case…

Gardens in winter can be stunning. Cambridge Botanic Garden has an excellent example of a winter garden with colour and interest provided by a range of bulbs, shrubs and trees. Another example is Anglesey Abbey (not in Wales, just outside Cambridge) that has a garden that was put in relatively recently but now provides a winter attraction more popular than the gardens in summer.

Achieving Winter Interest

When shopping for plants, most people are enticed by the ephemeral blooms of spring and summer. Pretty flowers smell sweet, last a week or two, turn brown and fall off, leaving nothing but compost for the winter. Successful, year-round gardening requires a longer-term view and a more ruthless approach to choosing plants. Good winter gardens have structure, texture and colour provided by their stems, berries, evergreen foliage and only occasionally by the flowers. Look at the pretty flowers in the summer and then ask whether they will provide anything else. Even an attractive seed head can be an added winter bonus. Good winter garden design can also help people with small gardens get more for their money because each plant will do more than just flower for a couple of weeks.

Planning for Winter Interest

Often with bad weather, a winter garden is a waste of time if it involves traipsing out through the mud to the part of the garden designated for ‘winter interest’. Choose a plot that is easy to see from the window or where you will walk even in the depths of winter. It could be a raised bed in front of the kitchen window or the entire front garden that you and your neighbours can enjoy daily. Even well positioned pots can enliven a dreary patio in winter.

Bulbs, Coums and Corms for Winter

Most people only think of daffodils when asked about bulbs. Bulbs are invaluable in terms of their contribution towards year-round interest and it is possible to have something in flower in all seasons. The Kaffir Lily, Schizostylis coccinea ‘Major’, is often referred to as a late summer bloom but it can flower into December if the Autumn is mild enough. This is joined by the autumn crocus, Colchicum autumnale and the showy Nerine bowdenii. Into January and the winter aconites, Eranthis hyemalis and familiar snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis begin to appear. Similar to snowdrops but with larger blooms, the winter snowflake, Leucojum vernum adds interest. In February, dwarf irises in purple and yellow add welcome splashes of colour. Iris reticulata and Iris danfordiae are easy to establish and will naturalise. Then along come the crocuses and daffodils and it’s spring.

Perennials

Most perennials die down into clumps of mush through winter. Over-enthusiastic clearing of the garden can remove some of the winter interest too. Experiment with different plants – often they have quite spectacular seed heads that can catch the low winter sun. Poppies, fennel, sedums and many grasses all have durable seed heads that stand out through winter. They also make valuable habitats for ladybirds and other insects that over-winter in the hollow stems or in the empty seed cases. For winter flowers, the hellebores including Helleborus foetidus and H. orientalis cultivars are beautiful. The flower heads have a tendency to be shy, facing downwards, although more recent cultivars have more outgoing, upward facing blooms. The flowers range from pale greens to dappled pinks and purples. Some even have a metallic tinge. They also have lush foliage with glossy, spiky leaves. They don’t mind shade and suit a raised bed where the flowers can be viewed more easily. For foliage, Swiss Chard is one of the best, often relegated to the vegetable patch but it shouldbe given space in the border because of its bright stems and textured foliage.

Shrubs for Winter Interest

Leaving shrubs with evergreen foliage aside, there are many ways that shrubs can provide winter interest. For stem interest, the dogwoods, Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’, C. Alba and many other cultivars have stems in shades from bright yellow to vibrant orange, red and purple. Some also offer interesting foliage for the summer months such as Corbus alba ‘Elegantissima’. An ornamental bramble, Rubus cockburnianus has beautiful white stems that stand out in the dark winter months. Among the most effective flowering shrubs, the Chinese witch hazel, Hamamelis mollis, flowers in February and has a strong, delicious lemony scent. It also has an elegant form and deep red autumn colour.

Trees for Bark and Fruit Through Winter

The ornamental crab-apple, Malus ‘Red Sentinel’ has to be one of the best small trees for winter interest. It has abundant, glossy red fruits that remain on the tree until the blackbirds have stripped them. It also has pretty, pale pink blossom in spring. For interesting bark, Betula jaquemontii is elegant and makes a statement in any courtyard garden. Snake-bark maples, Acer capillipes or Acer davidii, have beautiful bark in rich browns with white markings. They also have incised leaves that turn many rich autumn shades.

Winter need not be dull and grey. There are many species that can add colour, texture and interest to the garden throughout the winter to suit most situations. From planting tiny aconites and irises to snake-bark maples and crab apples, or by leaving the dead-heading until spring, there are many ways to enhance the garden in winter.