winter gardens

winter gardens
Winter for most of us is a time for staying indoors
relishing the warmth of open fires and hot food. As the
temperature drops, so does the desire to be outdoors
in the garden…. But a garden in winter does not need
to be dreary and bare. Although a winter garden lacks
the joy of flowers that spring can bring and the lush
abundance of summer time foliage, there is still a wide
choice of flowering trees, shrubs and winter annuals to
bring some life into your garden. With some careful
planning it is possible to create a winter garden that
provides colour and interest during the cold season.
Planning
While inside on those cold rainy days, when the long
hazy days of summer seem like a million miles away,
start dreaming and planning how you want your garden
to look not just in summer but all year round. Whether
you have an existing garden that needs a renovation or
you have new site that requires a new design from
scratch, start putting some ideas down on paper or
commission a professional landscape designer to
create some plans for you. After the plan is complete, a
lot of the structure and layout of the garden can be built
in winter and planting can begin from autumn to early
spring, then sit back and reap the rewards.
Creating winter colour
For a quick fix, add instant colour in the garden where
summer perennials have gone dormant or where there
are some bare spaces around trees or shrubs. If you
written by Sandra Batley - Flourish
like flowers, then winter annuals such as Polyanthus,
Primula’s and Pansies give the garden an instant lift.
Pansies come in all colours and sizes of flowers, so
you can plan your winter colour schemes. For a quick
fix, create a colourful entrance area using Polyanthus
or try white Primula’s with their dainty open flowers.
They look stunning en masse during winter. Plant in
large drifts under trees or as a soft filler behind crisp
clipped formal hedging or plant in large containers for
courtyards and decks. Winter annuals should be
planted in March and April, while the soil is still warm. If
foliage is your thing then choose from a wide range of
native coloured flaxes or divaricating shrubs.
The beauty of trees and shrubs
Trees and shrubs add year round beauty and structure
to the garden. For best results trees are best planted
during the months of April through to
September/October. This gives roots a chance to get
established before the stress of long hot summer days
set in. Deciduous trees give shade in the summer and
lets in valuable sun during winter. Cool crisp days
where the delicate bare skeletal form of a tree creates
an amazing silhouette against the clear blue sky. The
bark of a tree can also create some excitement in a
winter garden. Try planting trees such as the Paperbark
Maple or a Birch tree with bark that peels to produce a
colorful display on their trucks. Evergreen trees add
texture with their variation of leaf shapes and
interesting forms. Early blooming Magnolia denuata
continued...

and M. Stella provides valuable additional colour in the
late winter. The winter flowering cherry Prunus
subhirtalla autumnalis ‘Rosea’ has delicate shell pink
blooms. This beautiful small tree puts on a gorgeous
display and is particularly suited to woodland areas.
Some on our own New Zealand natives provide colour
during the dullest winter months. Leptospernum
varieties put on a colourful display with red, pink or
white flowers. Kowhai Sophora ‘Dragons Gold’ or ‘Early
Gold’ has delicate gold/yellow flowers. Hebe ‘Wiri Mist’
has a flush of magenta colored flowers in early winter
and H. ‘Lavender Lace’ has mauve-white flowers.
Banksias are an Australian native, the winter flowering
varieties have flowers which nectar feeding birds such
as Tuis love to feed from. Proteas and Leucadendrons
from Africa put on a bold display through winter and
spring and also make wonderful cut flower displays for
inside the home.
If you live in warmer parts of the country then you can’t
go past planting Michela doltsopa or Gordonia axillaris,
both have lovely white flowers. M. Doltsopa has a fruity
lemony fragrance.
Tropical and succulent plants
In the north where winters are milder, there are a range
of subtropical plants and succulents that give the
garden plenty of colour in winter. Aloe thraskii produces
stunning yellow flowers and Aloe arborescens has vivid
orange flowers. Another plant to try is Bromeliads. They
come in a variety of colours with stripes or spots and
can grow in a variety of conditions from deep shade to
full sun. Tibouchina urvilleana ‘Edwardsii’ it is an easy
care shrub that has vivid purple flowers. Abutilons are
another versatile shrub that produces red or yellow
winter flowers.
Old time classics
And finally you just can’t beat old-time classic
favourites such as Camellias, Azaleas,
Rhododendrons, Daphne and Hellebores (Winter rose)
and Lavendula dentate (lavender). These plants
provide colour and fragrance in a winter garden.
Camellia sasanquas are suitable for espalier and
hedging. Camellia japonicas are perfect for open,
larger gardens. They come in various shades of pink,
white and red. Daphne has a perfume that will fill and
sweeten the chilly air, so plant near the entrance or an
outdoor seating area. Hellebores are an evergreen
perennial that looks great massed underneath trees.
They also do well out in the full sun and will produce a
wonderful display of flowers.
Plants offer a unique beauty within the winter garden.
Adding garden accessories such as benches, arborsz,
water features, garden sculptures and statues will
further create lasting permanent points of interest.