Plants you like in the winter/fall/early spring

I really built my yard up around the summer garden, and now I want to expand into the rest of the year. I am particularily interested in gaining some color during the winter. I would love to hear what you all like, from flowers to shrubs, you will get my attention.

I am in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, zone 8

Rob

How large of an area are you wanting to plant?
What is the siting/exposure?
Soil conditions?
Height / spread restrictions?
Colour preferences: flower/foliage?
Evergreen or deciduous?
Enough questions? =:0)

I have planted lots of different shrubs/trees.
Most of the following bloom early:
Sarcacocca humilis(short) or ruscifolia(tall) - fragrant flowers
Camellia - japonica & sasanqua
Hamamelis
Hellebore - niger, corsican
Euphorbias
Pieris

I'll check back to see the answers to all the q's I asked - easier to direct you towards something. K

I like this winter affect. Cornus 'Midwinter Fire'

This would be all over my 0.29 acre yard.

Big trees are out, smaller ones in, several areas are going to be developed with new perennial gardens. 2 smaller trees have spaces selected for them, and several shrubs are on the short list to be eliminated.

Soil conditions range from soggy clays to rapid draining sands. I even have a stormwater grass lined swale that covers two sides of my yard, which can provide some habitat for wetland plants. Lighting covers everything from full shade to bright sun.

oooo - a new slate! Those are fun.
Are you wanting smaller plants, then?
Evergreen & deciduous for winter interest?

I am going out to walk the property & will compose a list of what I have that has worked well for me. I have 1 1/2 acres, but have incorporated many shrubs (large & small) into various borders.
I don't have time to fuss with lots of the perennials available, but do grow quite a few. Like you, I want to have things that provide a good visual, have nice structure, and do well up here. Smaller shrubs & grasses stand up to my dogs' tails, which has been another factor!
I am east of Bellevue, and originally marked Zone 7. So what I can do here, you will definately have success with being that you are closer to the water, & a bit warmer than I.
Later, K

A new discovery for me this year is Pinapple Sage. The leaf smell of pineapple, it is right now in bloom and attracting hummingbirds on a daily basis. I love the bright red this time of year, not to mention the hummers right outside my office window! I'll be growing more of these.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1913/

I will start the list for winter planting by putting in my own favourite:
Daphne Odora Aeromarginata.

There is just nothing like the scent of this plant wafting across the crisp days of January and February, sometimes as long as late march. It is haunting.

tolerant of almost any planting condition - acid to alkaline, probably appreciate some good compost in the hole if you are planting in unamended clay - tolerant of shade and sun (although wouldn't mind a bit of relief in the summer). Fairly easy on water too. Moderate growth rate, rarely exceeds 1.2m in heights. Plant it near the house so you can catch the scent as you step out. Evergreen, and it is a quietly handsome plant.

10/10!

Nice one, Laurie. How'z 'bout Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn' with it's mid-winter blooming. I also like the blooms of Mahonia 'Charity' or this Ghost Rubus, Rubus thibetanus 'Silver Fern'

I highly recommend the Camellia Sasanqua. I have two of them and both are in bloom right now. It's really nice to have some color in yucky weather as we're having now.
The cultivars I have are "Rainbow" and "Showa-no-Sakae".
Dotti


Edited to correct spelling error.

This message was edited Nov 24, 2007 6:59 PM

I will second the Daphne suggestion by Laurie. They don't get too large & can take more sun in our area. A smaller one that blooms several times during the year is Daphne 'Lawrence Crocker'. flower colour is a rosy lavendar & quite fragrant.

Evergreen Shrubs: aside from the obvious dwarf conifers, I would recommend the following:
Leucothoe: there's a red leafed variety Scarlet___? Short to 30" pretty colouring all year.
Lonicera pileata: Gets about 2' high & spreads 4' or so. Purple berries on all of mine right now.
Lonicera 'Lemon Beauty' to 3', yellow variegation on leaf; much shorter than 'Baggeson's gold'.
Vaccinium moupinense - Lingonberry to 2' X 3"
Vaccinium glauco-album - to 2'X3'
Vaccinium - forgot name - it's the evergreen huckleberry
Sarcococca humilis: to 18" or S. ruscifolia - taller version @ 4 - 5'
Holly -'Little Rascal' about 30" by 3' leaves are now tinged dk purple at edges
Berberis stenophylla 'Corallina compact' - tiny leaves, typical Berberis flowers in orange, 2-2 1/2' or so.
Camellia sasanqua: flowers earlier, and smaller, delicate. But lots of flowers!
C. japonica - flowers after sasanqua
Raphiolepis - to 3' X 3', white flowers
Euphorbias - all of them!
Hellebores - I like the corsican (toothed edge leaf - chartreuse flowers), but H. Niger does real well here & has a wide variety of flower colours.
Drimys - this is its first winter - I hope it does well. Red stems, blue-green foliage.
Osmanthus - if you have room for a fragrant, no maintenance beauty - get one of these. there are several different ones, some more fragrant than others.
Geums
Halimiocistus sahoucii - one of my faves - very hard to find (halimium X cistus)
Cistus cobariensis
Rosemary
Phormiums
Loropetalum - sizzle pink or something like that - burgundy foliage, dk pink flowers. gets about 4-5'
Ceanothus - there is a prostrate, short spreading type, but I don't know the name. Mine are gigantic/upright, so I won't recommend the ones I have.

Grasses:
Sedges - several that look great year round
Fescues
Carex - the variegated ones brighten the landscape during the grey months
Helichtotricon - aka blue oat grass
I have lots of different grasses, but some folks don't like them during the winter, so I didn't list...

Deciduous Shrubs:
Cornus alba 'elegantissima' or 'Ivory halo' or the much smaller 'Kelseyii' or 'Isanti'
Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn' - I like these so much I'm getting a few more
Crape Myrtle - there are some smaller shrub types that can be grown as small trees. I like them - good bark, mine flower end of summer into fall, no maintenance & easy to prune
Hamamelis (sp?) - nice. easy. spider-flowers in jan-feb. fragrant.


I'm sure that I missed some. If I remember which, I will d-mail you.
Thanks for your patience. K

I like the bloom of the rubus, but those are the nastiest thorns, utterly vicious. They hook!! Owwww. I agree and 2nd the scent of mahonia, but you do have to check them out in blossom with a good sniff before you buy - some of the earlier ones (Nov blossom) don't have scent - boo, not good. Oh, yummy - Drimys, very nice - excellent on woodland edge planting - does like some sun to do best. I also agree with the Corsican Hellebore, but are they not borderline hardy? And don't forget Hellebore Pacific Frost - lovely silvered leaves. OH, and hellebore Mrs. Jekyll scented: fabulous fabulous scent.

This is going to be a great winter garden.

I could plant an entire area with just Hellebores - I am in zone 7, and they do quite well here, especially the corsican, which can be just a bit rambunctious in my soil. Easy to pull, though, & I give away what I can't use.

Katye, is 7b colder than 9b (I don't know which direction the indicator's go) - and are you on clay. I have my finger's crossed - I'd love a mass planting of corsican - just been a bit cautious.

Laurie - 7b is colder.
My soil is clay based, but I have lived here & worked the soil for over 20 years, so it's quite hospitable, with the exception of a few veins of blue-clay.
The Corsicans do very well & get BIG - about 3'. But everything does here - my soil is rich. I have problems with plants that like their soil on the very lean side.
I really like the chartreuse flowers - quite bright & cheery for the dull grey weather.

Right, corsicans added to my wish list.