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I grew up in the mid-west where lawns are brown and trees are bare from November
to March when not covered by a blanket of snow. I’ve been asked if I find
Puget Sound rainy winters depressing. Not in the least. Precipitation that doesn’t
have to be shoveled has a lot to recommend it. I have the reasonable assurance
that my car will start. No dead batteries or frozen radiators. I also don’t
have to layer on a coat, hat, gloves, scarf, long johns and lace up boots just
to get the mail or walk the dog. And, best of all, in my garden there are flowers
all winter.
Herbaceous plants that bloom in winter include the smaller hardy cyclamens.
I have one in bloom now that is probably Cyclamen cilicium. The dainty
pink flowers are fragrant. The leaves are also strikingly variegated. At this
point the original tuber, once quarter-sized, has expanded to the size of a
salad plate and is surrounded by seedlings. They like a shady location and go
dormant during the summer, disappearing completely. To avoid damaging the tuber
or disturbing the roots be careful to mark their location.
A planter of common-place primroses will inexpensively and easily brighten your deck or porch. Remove spent blossoms occasionally and use an iron phosphate based slug bait to protect from marauding mollusks. Even though most people toss them, they are perennials. Next spring you can plant them out in a shady garden spot, and fill your container with summer blooming annuals. Winter pansies also do well in containers, but tend to get leggy without enough light. Place them where they will get whatever sun is available.
Some of the most pleasantly scented shrubs bloom in winter. To enjoy their
fragrance plant next to the driveway, sidewalk or entry, or on the way to the
mailbox, or screening the garbage can. You don’t want to be slogging through
wet grass to enjoy their scent. Take into account the plant's need for sun or
shade, water, soil type, and its ultimate size. Some are very large.
Elaeagnus x ‘Ebbingei’ a big 10-12’ tall with equal
width has exceptional new growth that is slivery speckled with brown on both
sides. Older leaves are dark green on top with a silver underside. Tiny fragrant
silver blooms appear in October and November. This is a fast growing, tough
plant that needs little up keep. It can be clipped into a hedge, but left alone
it has a nice rounded shape. Reportedly the red fruit makes good jelly, but
I suspect that any fruit on mine is rapidly eaten by birds.
Daphne odora or winter Daphne is a low-growing evergreen shrub. The small, rosy purple flowers produced in February and March are intensely fragrant. D. mezereum or February Daphne, blooms at the same time, but is deciduous and perhaps not quite as fragrant. The flowers are produced along the branches before it leafs out. Both grow to about 4” and need very well drained soil, and careful summer watering. (Don’t overwater these.)
Hamamelis mollis or Chinese witch hazel is a somewhat slow growing deciduous shrub which can eventually become a small tree. Golden yellow flowers bloom on bare wood January to March. They have a very spicy fragrance. H. intermedia a cross between H. mollis and a Japanese witch hazel blooms at the same time, but has varieties with orange, copper and deep red flowers.
Both Sarcoccocca ruscifolia 4-6’ tall, or S. hookerana humilis to 1-1/2’ have tiny whitish flowers almost hidden in the foliage in January and February that are fragrant (smelling of honey) enough to be noticed several feet away. They will grow in deep shade.
There are several Viburnums that bloom during the winter. As a group they are
quite tolerate of soil conditions. Although most will want some summer water
but most will grow in sun or part shade. Viburnum x bodnantense to
10’ or more. It produces clusters of small pink, very fragrant flowers
on bare wood often through the winter. V. burkwoodii, usually evergreen.
Very fragrant white flowers form February to March. V. tinus is an
evergreen which is available in different varieties ranging in size from small
tree to low-growing shrub. Clusters of pink buds open into white, lightly fragrant
flowers from November through the winter.
A delightful group of flowering shrubs are not fragrant but will add color to your winter. By carefully choosing varieties of Erica carnea and Calluna vulgaris it is possible to have color from flowers and foliage year around. Both prefer acid soil with good drainage and bloom best in full sun. They are generally low growing shrubs with very fine, narrow needle-like leaves and produce white, pink, rose, red or purple bell-shaped flowers. Prune after bloom by cutting back wood that has flowered but don’t cut back into bare wood.
Camellia sassanqua varies in form, and flowers profusely from fall to winter. The shrubs themselves are quite hardy but the buds can be nipped by an early frost, and the semi-double or double flower varieties can be damaged by rain. They will grow in both sun and semi-shade. Both Garrya elliptica, coast silktassel, and Corylus avellana ‘Contorta,’ contorted filbert, have showy catkins, a slender drooping flower cluster, on bare wood. They make nice specimen trees and could provide a focal point for a small garden.
Mahonia 'Arthur Menzies' is a relative of the native Oregon grape.
It can become a very large shrub. Dense terminal clusters of yellow flowers
are produced in December. Many public gardens have specimens growing. Local
nurseries and garden centers will have winter shrubs in stock. Plant when the
soil isn’t frozen!
Hortsense: Managing plant problems with Integrated Pest Management
