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Winter Gardens |
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Showpieces
Focal-point plants are a great addition to a winter yard. My favorites are weeping trees and shrubs, with their cascading bare branches coated in sparkling ice or softening snow. Once again, tall selections are the ticket in areas with deep snow cover – three inches of branches poking up above two-and-a-half feet of snow do not a focal point make.
Ideas for expansive properties include weeping birch (Betula pendula) and the golden weeping willow (Salix alba ‘Tristis’).
More compact choices include Young’s weeping birch (Betula pendula
‘Youngii’) and weeping mulberry (Morus alba ‘Pendula’). Many
weeping crabapple varieties are also available.
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| Gardeners living in areas with less snow cover can consider planting small and dwarf shrubs, such as ‘Sea Foam’ weeping crabapple or weeping pussywillow (Salix caprea ‘Pendula’). Certain weeping cut-leaf Japanese maples (Acer palmatum var. dissectum) and weeping Japanese katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Pendulum’) are beautiful choices for warmer climes, while weeping caraganas (Caragana arborescens ‘Pendula’ and ‘Walker’s’) are tough survivors.
Weepers, however, are not the only interesting winter focal points. Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) evokes a feeling of calm, with its horizontal branches upturned at the tips. At the other end of the tranquility scale are the wild and twisty hazelnut (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) and corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’).
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Other Articles from this Issue |
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