December Garden Choices: Recommended Blooms and Vegetation by Lead Gardeners
Winter Gardens: A Palette of Colour, Structure, and Holiday Delights
As the winter months approach, many gardeners are eager to bring a touch of colour and structure to their outdoor spaces. Here are some of the best plants for winter gardens that provide colour, structure, and can be used in Christmas wreaths.
Evergreen Shrubs (for structure and year-round interest):
The Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce offers striking steel blue needles that maintain colour all winter, creating a polished, low-maintenance focal point. The Golden Mop False Cypress provides rich golden tones and soft texture, growing well in full sun to part shade. Hollies are classic for fall and winter landscaping, with glossy leaves and bright red berries that are excellent for holiday decorations and wreaths. The Goshiki Osmanthus (Japanese False Holly) features variegated foliage in multiple colours (red, pink, green, white, yellow, grey-green) that adds multi-hued interest and evergreen structure to garden beds.
Flowering Shrubs that bloom or provide winter colour:
Camellia blooms from late winter through early summer with rose-like flowers and glossy evergreen leaves that add sophistication and visual appeal throughout winter. Mountain Laurel is evergreen and produces delicate pink or white flowers, contributing colour and structure in colder months.
Evergreens and Foliage Plants for Texture:
Dusty Miller is valued for its silvery foliage, which pairs well with other bright plants and can add winter colour contrast. Ferns add feathery, evergreen or semi-evergreen texture, enriching shade and winter gardens with their graceful foliage. Hostas (though primarily for shade) provide interesting leaf shapes and colours that can brighten winter with their evergreen varieties.
Winter-blooming Perennials (especially in shade):
Hellebores bloom in late winter/early spring with flowers in white, pink, amber, and even black, adding delicate colour to winter gardens.
Regarding Christmas wreath use, evergreens with sturdy foliage and berries are especially prized. For example, hollies with their bright red berries and glossy leaves are traditional choices. Spruce and cypress foliage add fragrant greenery and texture.
In addition to these shrubs and perennials, there are several other plants that excel in winter gardens.
Perennials:
- Lunaria rediviva has white flowers with hints of lilac above dark-green, finely toothed leaves, and elliptical seedheads that appear in December, resembling tiny pieces of hanging tracing paper.
- Iris unguicularis 'Mary Barnard' is a species of December-flowering iris that is incredibly tolerant of poor and sun-baked positions, offering large, violet flowers with contrasting yellow signals.
Ornamental Grasses:
- 'Miscanthus sinensis' 'Morning Light' is a variety of miscanthus that makes an upright fountain of foliage during the summer.
- 'Stachyurus praecox' var. 'matsuzakii' 'Issai' is a deciduous shrub with subtle caramel tones in its autumn foliage that lasts into December, and will flourish under the protection of a light tree canopy or against a south- or west-facing wall.
Orchids:
'Cymbidium' hybrids are some of the least demanding orchids, producing large flowers that last over two months.
Trees:
- 'Betula albosinensis' 'Bowling Green' is a tree with a white trunk that peels away to reveal a cinnamon colouration in winter light, and works well in all sizes of garden.
- 'Picea orientalis' prefers any soil that does not sit wet and shade.
Bulbs:
- 'Grand Diva' is a variety of Hippeastrum (amaryllis) that produces large, vivid-red, funnel-shaped flowers.
- 'Narcissus papyraceus' blooms in late winter into early spring.
Witch Hazels:
- 'Hamamelis x intermedia' 'Jelena' is a variety of witch hazel that produces dainty, ribbon-petaled flowers of yellow suffused with burnt orange in December.
- 'Yuletide' is a hybrid camellia that produces a bushy, evergreen shrub covered in polished foliage and has brilliant-red flowers, each with a golden central boss.
Mahonia:
'Mahonia x media' 'Winter Sun' is a variety of mahonia that produces dense clusters of ascending flower spikes, each composed of small, bright-yellow blooms in December.
Each of these plants brings a unique charm and character to winter gardens, providing a riot of colour, structure, and fragrance, and making perfect additions to Christmas wreaths and holiday decorations.
- The Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce, with its steel blue needles, can create a polished focal point in winter gardens, offering structure and year-round interest.
- Ferns add feathery, evergreen or semi-evergreen texture to gardens, enriching shade and winter landscapes with their graceful foliage.
- 'Cymbidium' hybrids are some of the least demanding orchids, producing large flowers that last over two months, making them great choices for home-and-garden lovers.
- 'Yuletide' is a hybrid camellia that produces a bushy, evergreen shrub covered in polished foliage and has brilliant-red flowers, each with a golden central boss, perfect for fashion-and-beauty enthusiasts.
- Witch Hazels, like 'Hamamelis x intermedia' 'Jelena', produce dainty, ribbon-petaled flowers of yellow suffused with burnt orange in December, adding a burst of colour to gardens and travel destinations during the winter months.
