The naked beauty of a winter garden
Some shrubs come into their own in winter, as they cast aside the heavy green mantle of summer to reveal their naked beauty. Hidden beneath the leaves during summer, their colourful stems positively glow in the low winter light, their colours becoming stronger as the days grow colder.
Several varieties of Cornus, the dogwoods, excel, as do some Salix, willows and some varieties of Acer palmatum, the Japanese maples. Of the latter, Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’ (‘Senkaki’), the Coral bark maple, is the one to grow if you want colourful stems. This is a slender, upright plant with fine twigs carrying soft, light-green foliage. The leaves turn a soft canary-yellow in autumn, before they fall to reveal the brilliant coral-red young stems. Although this maple grows into a small tree with age it is slow and therefore perfect for the small garden or a large pot.
The glowing twigs of Salix alba ‘Britzensis’ are a familiar sight against blue winter skies.
Although the scarlet willow is a large, graceful tree it can also be grown as a shrub if the stems are cut back to a little above ground level each spring. Willows are excellent plants for wet and heavy soil, and they grow easily from rooted cuttings. The cut stems of willow will even root in water if you leave them in a vase for a few weeks.
The red-barked dogwood, Cornus alba, is perhaps the best known shrub grown for its winter stems. There are several varieties with coloured and variegated foliage which add colour to the garden throughout the summer. The variety which produces the most intensely coloured stems is the plain green-leaved Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, this has glowing scarlet winter bark on the vigorous upright stems.
To encourage vigorous growth prune the Cornus alba hard in late winter, to just a little above ground level. This may seem harsh but your plant will respond with glorious straight wands that grow quickly and light up the garden the following winter. The long, wand-like stems of this cornus are flexible and can be cut and made into Christmas wreaths or garlands for decoration. The cut stems also look effective in a glass vase and remain in good condition for several weeks.
Cornus sanguinea, ‘Midwinter Fire’ (right), lives up to its name. The branched stems are orange gold at the base, and flame orange at the tips of the shoots. A single plant is a real feature in the winter garden - even on dull, cloudy days. This cornus grows well on wet or dry soil and is a good subject for a pot for a season or two. Again, hard pruning in late winter is essential for the showiest shoots.
Of course any of these plants grown for their winter stems look spectacular against freshly fallen snow. However, not all of us can rely on a generous sprinkling to enhance our plants. So for best effect underplant your shrubs for winter stems with evergreen ground cover subjects such as vinca, hedera or carex - these will show them off so much more than a background of bare earth.
Andy McIndoe is one of Britain’s leading horticulturists and a tutor at MyGardenSchool, where he teaches ‘A Professional Guide to Choosing, Using and Planting Shrubs’; ‘A Professional Guide to Choosing, Using and Planting Trees’; ‘Experts Guide to Planting Spring Flowering Bulbs’; and ‘How to Get The Perfect Lawn.’
Andy is also Managing Director of Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres and is perhaps best known as designer of the Hillier exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which has won an unprecedented record of 66 consecutive gold medals. Andrew - a regular contributor to a number of magazines, newspapers and BBC Radio - lectures widely to gardening groups and societies and leads numerous gardening tours. His special interests include hardy shrubs, trees, herbaceous perennials, flower bulbs, home grown vegetables and garden design and he has authored books on all of these subjects.
- There are plenty of ways to beautify your garden in the cold months without a quick colour fix
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Caroline Tilston opines on the benefit of year-round garden fairy lights
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