Appealing Plants that Tackle the Winter “Blahs!”

As you face the long winter months ahead, does your garden provide something “fab” to look at or does it have the winter “blahs?”  It is always a challenge to create an inspiring outside space between January and March. But take heart…there is still time to add some wonderful plants to the garden that will lift your spirits in the weeks ahead by providing interesting shapes, textures, blooms and scent.

Trees make the biggest impact and can be major focal points in the garden during a gray and bleak winter season. They give you something to look at from your window when it is too cold to be outside. Trees don’t have to have leaves or blooms to be impacting. Look for trees with interesting structure and texture. If you want a fabulous dwarf tree with crazy twisted branches that will have your neighbors asking, “What is it?”…plant a Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’). This small tree (or large shrub) is grown primarily for its twisting branches and gives fabulous visual interest during the winter. 

Just when winter has taken hold and you think spring is only a hope on the horizon, the Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana) will bring joy to your heart with stunning saucer-shaped blossoms that pop out during February! The tree is small but the flowers are large and generally pink, red, white or burgundy. Good cultivars include: ‘Alba Superba’ (white flowers with a touch of purple), ‘Burgundy’ (early blooming in deep purple), ‘Speciosa’ (white blooms that come later in the season and ‘San Jose’ (fragrant, large white-to-pink blossoms with white centers that darken to a pink-purple).

Another stunning early bloomer is the Flowering Apricot (Prunus mume). This tree will knock your socks off in late January or early February with clusters of pink flowers on bare branches. When in full bloom, the tree looks like a Japanese floral display and will give you weeks of pleasure.

Many shrubs are also planted for their winter appeal. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia) has fragrant blooms exploding in late January through March in colors from yellow to red. During the fall months, the bright foliage provides fall interest. Look for ‘Arnold Promise,’ or ‘Orange Beauty.’

Winter Daphne (Daphne odora) is a small shrub that provides a big punch of fragrance and lovely delicate blossoms from late January through March. While Winter Daphne is a little finicky to grow, it will reward you with such a lovely scent during those final weeks of winter. 

The Camellia is a wonderful shrub, and one of my favorite southern plants. Not only are camellias evergreen, but the Camellia sasanquas begin blooming in the late fall and early winter. ‘Yuletide’ blooms just as the name suggests – around the holidays!

Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) is my most favorite low-growing shade plant. It has large evergreen leaves that provide a nice ground cover but the plant takes center stage in January when it begins blooming with small nodding flowers in a variety of colors. The blooms last almost until May. Every garden with shade to partial shade should be the home to as many Lenten roses as you can plant! You can find them now at area nurseries. Please plant them…you won’t regret it!

Finally, don’t forget about ornamental grasses. As their plumes dry during the winter months, you can enjoy the interesting shapes and the movement as they sway in the wind. They provide a nice backdrop for a wintry snow scene.

So there you have it…lots of choices for amazing plants that will fight the winter blues and take you into spring when the garden comes alive again with flowers.