Add a SPLASH OF RED
Scarlet flowers, stems and berries zing out against the garden’s evergreen backdrop for an extra-festive feel
With summer’s chlorophyll green a distant memory, December’s leaves, stems and berries take to their newly empty stage with aplomb. This is their time to shine and nothing can stop them!
Sure, there may be a few deciduous leaves hanging around – but on plants such as Cornus alba cultivars and Sorbus sargentiana, they are a fitting foil for bright stems and hanging clusters of berries, respectively.
Evergreens too can join the party; mahonia often sports a red leaf or two, while bergenias such as ‘Bressingham
Ruby’ are definitely at the magenta end of purple – a colour that looks fabulous with a sprinkle of snow or, indeed, snowdrops.
Bright red stems of Cornus alba cultivars make them a must-have winter plant. Well-known C. alba ‘Sibirica’ is plenty good enough, but arguably even better is the cultivar ‘Baton Rouge’. Site it to catch the all-important low light of the season and add a dash of crimson with C. sanguinea ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ to create a fiery-red display that would surely turn Santa’s head while passing on his sleigh! Other reds also come to the fore in winter, and they don’t have to be retina-searing to have an impact. Skimmia’s bronze-maroon buds are subtle but distinctive, while the glossy chestnut bark of Prunus serrula is worth the chilly wait. And while acers are often considered to be green or yellow of stem, Acer conspicuum ‘Phoenix’ is decidedly and boldly pink!
Red flowers that brighten the dark, such as Hamamelis intermedia ‘Diane’ and ‘Carmine Red’, and some chaenomeles, are relatively few and far between; berries are the real stars of the season. Holly is traditional but for something a little different, look for variegated Ilex altaclerensis ‘Lawsoniana’ – it’s particularly bright. Other options include low-growing Gaultheria procumbens, whose scarlet baubles look fab in containers, and eyecatching Nandina domestica ‘Richmond’ (left), which boasts red-tipped foliage and bright little berries to match.
Native hedges may still be packed with haws and wild rosehips, while cultivated roses such as R. moyesii can be very decorative in winter. Certain trees and shrubs are truly show-stopping: berberis ‘Georgei’ is liberally smothered in dangling vermilion fruit while Celastrus orbicuatus redefines ‘showy’ with its bright red seeds encased in capsules of belisha-beacon orange. And last but far from least, are the crab apples, in which camp malus ‘Red Jewel’ and M. robusta ‘Red Sentinel’ are some of the best and most persistent. ➤
Reds don’t have to be retina-searing to have an impact