Hi GPODers!
The majority of the submissions we receive roll in during the peak of summer color, usually a time when gardeners believe their designs are at their “best.” However, there are some contributors that return time and time again when submissions are needed most: during the depths of winter. They might have a landscape that takes on a magical quality when covered in snow, or they live in a region that allows for four seasons of bloom and color. Or, like Andy Schenck in Malvern, Pennsylvania (Zone 6B–7—although it is feeling like 4 lately), they have a palette of plants that continues to provide interest after the temperatures drop. Andy has shared his incredible collection of plants with winter interest a few times in the past (Winter in Andy’s Garden, Unusual Plants for Winter Interest, and Andy’s Best Plants for the Winter Garden), and today he’s back with another outstanding winter update.
I have been gardening at Look Again Garden for over 20 years—it is a collector’s garden with many drifts of one. Zone busting is a favorite challenge as well as searching out the weird, strange, and rare plants.
Our first unusual evergreen is the wheel tree (Trochodendron aralioides, Zones 6–7), which might seem like an inaccurate name when you see these plants in cultivation. Often grown as a large shrub in the United States, this slow-growing broadleaf is a rare tree that can grow up to 60 feet tall in the wild.
There are many colorful conifers that brighten a winter garden, but ‘Korean Gold’ plum yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Korean Gold’, Zones 6–9) is a standout. New growth emerges in this fabulous flash of yellow, which can create a wonderful gradient effect on the plant.
Holly is also a famous favorite in winter gardens, and this plant might just fool you into thinking they’re part of the family. False holly (Osmanthus heterophyllus, Zones 7–9), also known as holly olive or false olive, is actually a part of the olive family (Oleaceae). The spiky leaves can be deceptive on first glance, but take note that true holly leaves are alternate (single leaves grow staggered along a stem) and false holly leaves are opposite (leaves grow opposite one another on the same node).
Another fabulous selection if you’re looking for a little edge in your garden is the leatherleaf mahonia (Mahonia bealei, Zones 7–9). If you leave the standing stems of dried seedpods on the plant, like Andy has, these evergreens can give an extra element of winter interest.
An Asian relative to the native eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis, Zones 6–8), Southern Japanese hemlock (Tsuga sieboldii, Zones 6–8) has blunter, more rounded foliage and small, egg-shaped cones.
Chinese nutmeg (Torreya grandis, Zones 7–9) is a rare find that surprises with its hardiness. The fans of foliage that grow on one plane give the conifer an almost tropical look, but in Andy’s garden it’s still looking fresh with a light dusting of snow.
Andy keeps the spikes coming with another fabulous false holly, this one the ‘Ogon’ cultivar (Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Ogon’, Zones 7–9). Known for its vibrant yellow hue, the leaves will shift to green or chartreuse in winter.
Along with interesting cultivars, Andy also has an eye for uncommon species. Deciduous dogwoods are well loved and commonly planted, but the evergreen variety is much harder to come by. This ‘Green Splendour’ evergreen dogwood (Cornus capitata ‘Green Splendour’, Zones 6–9) is splendid in his winter garden.
Lastly, after all of that incredible greenery, Andy leaves us with the fabulous winter flowers of ‘Jelena’ witch hazel (Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Jelena’, Zones 5–8).
Thank you so much for sharing these fantastic winter interest plants with us, Andy! You have a truly wonderful collection of interesting and unusual specimens, delightful to see in this subdued season.
What plants carry your garden through the winter months? Do you have any uncommon gems, like Andy, or do wonderful winter classics provide necessary structure and late-season blooms in your landscape? Follow the NEW directions below to submit your winter photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, fill out the Garden Photo of the Day Submission Form.
You can also send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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