Evergreens and Winter interest

[Deleted]

Hi

I've had a bit of a play in the garden this afternoon and the one thing that is abundently obvious (apart from the fact that my garden is a complete nightmare) is that I have way too many Spring & Summer bulbs, herbaceous perennials and deciduous shrubs and don't have anywhere near enough evergreens and plants that give Winter interest.

I know there are some nice dogwoods that give winter interest with their stems (but typically I don't know their names if anyone would like to enlighten me).

Can anyone suggest anything else evergreen or that looks good at this time of year.

Ta

FA x

[isabella]

Hello FA,

Sarcococca confusa and Sarcococca hookeriana are both evergreen ,in flower at the moment ( very small flowers) but lovely scent.

Osmanthus delaveyi is evergreen and will flower in the Summer.

Viburnum tinus - everyone garden should have one!

Helebores

Euonymous

Prunus mume is in flower now.

Corylus avellana ' contorta'

Just a few to start you off

[Susie Snowdrop]

Pittosporum - all varieties have either gorgeous glossy leaves and/or interesting stem colours!



S x

[Plocket]

Ok well there's Cornus alba "Elegantissima" which has varigated leaves and red stems. Cornus "Midwinter Fire" which has pinky yellow stems and Kesselringii has dark blackish stems - both have fairly boring foliage. None of them are evergreen remember!!!

Depending on space I think holly is a lovely plant to have in the garden because you can have varigated leaves, and of course there are the berries. If you go this route but only one tree make sure you get a self pollinating one, otherwise you need to have a male near the females.

Hellebores are lovely and have flowers of course, and then theres the contravercial euphorbias. I love them but you have to be very careful because the saps is very nasty.

Then there are evergreen clematis which like a lot of sun. Hebes - some people think they are boring but I think they are useful. And you can also have herbs like lavender and rosemary. An upright rosemary really looks elegant and although has a similar shape is much nicer than a conifer.

I have a lovely evergreen bamboo - phylostachys nigra, which doesn't spread too much. Theres Hamamellis/Witch Hazel for winter flowers, and contorted hazel for interesting branches. And last but certainly not least, heucheras - lovely foliage in colours from greens through to deep dark purples. Great in pots or in borders.

Hope this helps!

[Susie Snowdrop]

Yeah, and there's Viburnums, Azaleas, Rhodos, Laurels, phormiums (love 'em), cordylines, Euonymus....................

S x

[Susie Snowdrop]

......and then ofcourse there's Brachyglottis, Buxus, Ruta, Lonicera (some), Coprosma (some), Cotoneaster (some), Berberis (some)...............

S x

[Deleted]

What about bamboo?

Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis' is a clump-former so won't spread rampantly. Gets to 10-15ft high and has lush green leves and lovely bright yellow canes.

Phyllostachys nigra the black bamboo is similarly well-behaved but doesn't really think too much of my clay soil.

Chusquea culeo is another clump-former and is slow growing. It has lovely slightly grey/green leaves and loads of slender canes. Gets to 15ft in all directions eventually.

Arundinaria auricoma is a bit more spreading but it's easy to pull out the unwanted shhots. This only gets 4ft high and has pale green to yellow leaves.

[Plocket]

Funny that TC - I've got my phylostachys nigra in clay soil and it's doing ok. Mind you the other one I've got in a large pot is happier.

[Deleted]

Wow, I must google some of them and see what they look like.

Thanks

FA x

[Dr Bill]

As regards dogwoods, they give best winter coloured stem if pruned hard in the early spring. Old wood goes very dull

[Jonah]

Hi Andy
Just to add to what has been said, I haven't got a lot of interesting colour in my garden, but there are still a fair few things with foliage. In the shady bit I have heucheras [get a bit tatty with the really bad weather], hardy ferns, a small leaved bergenia, liriope [not very exciting, but I dot bulbs and primula vialli in it], a big carex [pendula I think] pyracantha, cotoneaster, hellebores and chincherinchee bulbs are still flowering. In the sunnier border I have hebes, phygelius, penstemons [although they struggled a bit through last years long winter], pittosporum 'tom thumb', heathers, rosemary, variagated viburnum tinus, and another couple I won't mention . Oh and the hardy passion flower is still looking pretty fresh.
That's all I can think of at 10'o clock at night! ;D

[Jonah]

Oh, one more, Salvia officianalis 'tricolour'

[Juliet]

plocket said:

Cornus "Midwinter Fire" which has pinky yellow stems

The one in my garden has red/orange/yellow stems - not a hint of pink anywhere! I'd really recommend it too - looks fabulous when the light catches it at this time of year, and gives colour through from November to March, just when you need it. But as Dr Bill says, you really need to cut Cornus right down at the end of March - to within a couple of inches of the ground.

Other things looking good in my garden at the moment are:
Cornus alba sibirica (dark red, & not as good as the midwinter fire)
Euonymus fortunei silver queen
Euonymus blondy
Ilex meserveae blue angel (a self-fertilising holly)
Nandina domestica
Rosmarinus officinalis Miss Jessups upright
Erica carnea springwood white (& a couple of other Ericas - but this is the best)
Thymus serpyllum albus
Hebe ochracea james stirling
Narcissus rijnveldts early sensation (early flowering daffs)
Crocus sieberi bowles white (early flowering crocus)
Berberis linearifolia orange king
Perovskia blue spire (has nice white stems in winter if you don't cut it down in autumn)
Jasminum nudiflorum
Heuchera ebony and ivory
And a small conifer which was here when we moved in & I think might be a Thuja occidentalis tiny tim

My evergreen clem looks a bit manky though - memo to self: must take a photo to post & ask Plocket if anythings wrong with it

[Deleted]

So, what you're all saying is that there are LOADS of things I could plant and I really should just get off my lazy backside and go to the GC and find them !! ;D

FA x

[Susie Snowdrop]

[isabella]

I think so!

[Plocket]

Hum......... ;D

[Juliet]

Yep

If you want some thyme or a small euonymus let me know - I have a couple of spare cuttings.

[Deleted]

Thanks Juliet. I have several small euonymous so I'm ok, ta.

I must google some of the others suggested and see what they're like.

FA x

[andy]

Fatsia japonica

[Alicat]

Hi FA

I found these at a nursery last week and thought you might like to see them.

Nandina domestica ( Heavenly Bamboo)



Leucothoe Zeblid



Hypericum x Moserianum Tri colour



And my favourite
Rhododendron Ponticum Variegatum

[sleepysunday]

I do like the heavenly bamboo Ali. It would look nice next to my sambucus

[Alicat]

Yes I like that one too. It certainly stands out on a cold day.

Once the veg patch is finished I think I might get one for the back garden and one for the front.

[sleepysunday]

I can see what you mean about the variagated rhodadendron, but my concern is that the flowers are going to be the ordinary purple ones. Now if the flowers were white, with a delicate mottled green throat going down into the flowers then I would jump at it even at that price.

[Alicat]

According to the label it will have purple flowers in late may early June. Which I don't mind. having said that I like the sound of a white flowered variety - I wonder if there is one - think I might need to google again.

[mickthecactus]

Juliet, you mentioned Ilex meserveae Blue Angel. I have had this for years and it barely grows for me. What conditions does it like?

Incidentally, would it grow well in a pot?

[Juliet]

Hi Mick,

Mine is VERY slow-growing but it looks healthy, & looking back on photos of when it was planted I can see that it has grown, even if I don't notice it in the way I do with some plants (it's gone from about 1' - 2' (maybe less) in about 4 years - apparently it's eventually supposed to get to 7'!). I've seen it described as female on some websites, but as self-fertile on others, and there definitely aren't any other hollies anywhere near mine, but it produces lots of berries, so I'm inclined to believe it's self-fertile - I may be wrong, but if I am I don't know what's fertilising it!!

I don't know what conditions are ideal for it (I think generally hollies are fairly tolerant) but mine is in damp, slightly alkaline clay in shade & it seems to be happy there. I haven't fed it or anything but the soil is quite rich, I think, & it has a woodchip mulch. I don't know whether it would be happy in a pot but I imagine as it's so slow-growing it might work if the pot was big enough & you kept it well watered. I think it has quite big roots though. Sorry I can't help any more!

Juliet

[Deleted]

Oooh, thanks Alicat

I love the first 2. I must try and get to a GC this weekend as what's looking good.

FA x

[paul r82]

One i cant see mentioned is Rubus Cockburnianus, has silvery white stems, great at the back of the border.

[mickthecactus]

Thanks Juliet - that rather describes mine as well. I just have to be patient. Mind you growing cacti that can be absolutely pedestrian you 'd think pateince would be no problem at all.