winter interest planting

Season Greetings everyone!!! With all the lovely evergreens and holly outside I can't seem to stop thinking about spring!!! This spring we are building a double tiered "L" shaped wall to retain our hill so we can build a shed. The back of the Shed is facing the smaller portion of the "L". I was wondering if you could suggest nice plants for cutting and interest in the winter. The top part of the wall is going to be around 4-6 feet high. The second tier is probably going to be 2-3 feet high. The wall will probably run about 36 feet long and wrap around and tapper off at the end at about 16 feet. I am in MA I think it's zone 6a. And the wall is facing East but the majority of the plants will get shade from the shed in the afternoon.

Happy Holiday! Thanks everyone!

rachel

sorry I meant shade from the shed in the morning and will probably get afternoon sun.

pictures, pictures, pictures...

I am not imagining well where you want to put the plants, but I can speak to winter interest - especially if you have room for woody plants.

I offer one to start with, which is as great out in the yard as it is in the house for cut branches: Winterberry holly, Ilex verticillata. Perfect match for most MA conditions too, especially if not drought-stricken.

http://planagarden.bhg.com/planagarden/index.php?roomid=143778

Here is a link to the cheesy landscape design I did. This is the wall and the brick represents the tiers. That reddish tree like thing in the corner of the "L" I was thinking that would be where the winterberry would be. I was thinking I would trim it to be "tree" like. As for the other plants I don't know if I should do small azalea bushes flanked by two holly's on the other side. Those plants are the plants I will see from the two windows of the shed and the door. The trees on top of the wall are some kind of evergreen tree triangular I am not sure if it's going to box woods or dwarf pine trees.

http://planagarden.bhg.com/planagarden/index.php?roomid=143781

This link is the side of the shed that is facing the street. The two dwarf pines to the right represent where the garage door will be. I am thinking on the front left side of the shed I would like some kind of pretty flowering tree for spring interest. The last tree towards the back of the shed (all the way to the left corner of your screen) I would like a blue spruce tree if there is some kind of dwarf variety. I think I was going to put the male pollinator for the winterberry and maybe one other variety of holly. For low growing shrubs towards the front I was thinking blue juniper and knock out roses around the blooming spring interest tree. And golden Juniper for in front of the holly. I really want plants that in the middle of winter I can take a few clippings to put in little vases. Can I do that or will it kill the plant? I think that will help me in the dead of winter to look forward to spring. Half my yard is a work in progress as a cottage garden filled with different flowers so I would really like some plants just dedicated to a beautiful winter landscape. If you have any ideas or think some of these plants have better alternatives I would love to hear your advice!!

thanks for all your help!

This message was edited Dec 21, 2010 7:31 PM

This message was edited Dec 21, 2010 7:35 PM

I'm with VV - I have the winterberry holly and love it for winter interest. I also have red twig dogwood which is a nice bush in the summer but a standout in the winter - especially in snow. I've only had mine three years and will never be without one in my yard again because of the winter look of it. Here's the link:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2094/

I didn't register to look at your plans, so I'll only offer opinions on winter interest plants.

It's hard to imagine any evergreen holly that would NOT be useful. You just have to winnow down the choices to ones that you like, and that will fit in the places that you would like to use them. There are hundreds to choose from, and all with withstand a winter nip-and-tuck of sprigs for interior decoration. This will be the best time for this - you'll get double the value, since you'll enjoy using the branches and the plant will have a denser growth pattern in the following season.

'Sparkleberry' and some of the other larger winterberry types might make the best small trees. These can be grown as multistem small trees, too.

Another deciduous species that brightens the winter landscape (and perfumes it, too) is Witch Hazel. Look for the hybrids Hamamelis x intermedia or Chinese form (Hamamelis mollis) for winter color and fragrance. These can also make nice small trees, and will bring yellow, gold, red, and orange flowers - which make fine cut branches - to your garden in those months when not much else blooms.

Here's a witch hazel blooming with an American Holly in full fruit in the background. Not a bad combo.

I love the look of pyracantha in the winter. It is drought tolerant and can be shaped any way you like. Mine is trained against a wall and is brilliant with red berries now. Eventually, at some point in the winter, the robins come after the berries and it is a frenzy and a delight to watch. They denude it of berries and that's okay. It is said the berries are intoxicating by the time the robins come and get 'em.

thanks so much!! I am defiantly going to look into witch hazel it looks so pretty!! But I would like to be able to keep all of the plants pretty manageable kind of on the 4 feet side for shrubs and 10 to 15 feet for the bloom tree and the "fat Albert" blue spruce. I have two twig dogwoods already and I have a vase with the red sticks mixed with some evergreen clippings in my house right now!! I also have a red bark maple that's very young so it's red branches are beautiful and when it snowed a few days ago it stood out so magnificently.

Check out garrya too for it's winter interest-speaking from the PNW-might work for you.

I have been very pleased with my dwarf Mountain Laurel. I have Tiddlywinks, though there are a number of other varieties. It has stayed very perky through the winter and doesn't curl its leaves like some other broadleaf evergreens do.