CONTAINER IDEAS TO BRIGHTEN YOUR WINTER
Use hardy plants that can handle the chill in a variety of colours, textures and heights
Our brief introduction to winter in early November certainly ended our outdoor container displays of annuals. Instead of looking at tired, empty pots, why not create something exciting to enjoy during the winter months ahead?
By making the right choices for colour and hardiness, you’ll be surprised how great winter planters can look, adding life and vibrancy to any patio and balcony.
The usual considerations go out the window at this time of year. With the short days of winter and the low angle of the sun, shade and sun issues are no longer a factor. Instead, it’s about creating colour contrast and withstanding exposure to chilly winter winds, especially those from the north and east.
As a rule of thumb, the larger the container the better. Winter containers need very welldraining soil to handle the excess moisture coming our way all season long. Wet, soggy soil is not a happy situation for the roots of most plants. If you can’t find a porous soil mix, you can create your own by adding a one-third portion of fine fir or hemlock bark into a good potting mix, or even incorporating some white perlite to help keep your soil open and well-draining.
Which plants will tolerate the cold, dark and wet conditions of winter, while at the same time providing colour?
It all begins with an eyecatching focal point. A tall, thin, elegant feature plant always gets my vote, and there are lots of options from which to choose. The Goldcrest cypress provides great colour but is hardy only to zone 7. ‘Wilma’ is the hardiest variety, tolerating temperatures as low as -8 to -10 C.
Golden Irish yews (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata Aurea’) are rated zone 5 and make great focal points because of their yellow colouring and narrow form. Japanese holly (Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’) has a beautiful slender habit, and euonymus ‘Green Spire’ with its rich shiny foliage and compact, upright shape, echoes this look. Both are zone 6 plants.
For a different approach, the gold or red twisted stems of contorted willows (Salix ‘Tortuosa’), rated zone 5, make classy focal points, as do the red, yellow or bicolour stems of shrub dogwoods (cornus), rated zone 3.
Next come the accent pieces. Here’s where you need colour. My all-time favourites are the compact forms of nandinas, better known as heavenly bamboo (not being a true bamboo, it has no runners). Their intense red coloration at this time of year is amazing. Most varieties are rated as zone 6 plants.
Complementing the nandinas are the compact forms of leucothoe (zone 6). I love L.‘Rainbow’ because of its speckled cream, red and green foliage, but I’m often attracted to its far more red cousins ‘Scarletta’, ‘Curly Red’ and ‘Little Flames’. They all add a richness to a winter container that is hard to beat.
One accent plant really growing in popularity is the slightly prickly, variegated, holly-like plant Osmanthus ‘Goshiki’ (zone 6). With its vibrant gold and green foliage, it’s a fun plant that sparks up any winter planter.
Male skimmias are great, too, because of their intense burgundy buds that open in late winter with a lovely perfume. The Himalayan sweet box (Sarcococca humilis), a zone 5 plant, is a jewel not only for its very shiny small leaves but also for its incredible perfume that fills the air in late December or January.
Yes, there are winter flowers. Winter-flowering ericas will contribute colour and texture. I’m particularly fond of the golden foliage varieties such as ‘Eva Gold’ and ‘Mary Helen’. Both have pink flowers that last for months.
The first Christmas roses (Helleborus niger) are now showing their colours. The new varieties hold their blooms face-up so you can fully enjoy their beauty. The Gold Collection has compact varieties, like H. ‘Josef Lemper’, H. “Jonas’ and H. ‘Jacob’. Their long-lasting flowers look very beautiful in winter containers.
Berries add a festive touch, and nothing does it better than wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens). Its large and edible red berries look charming drooping over the edge of a container, and its shiny foliage and pink flower buds make it a must-have in winter containers.
Adding to the charm of any container are the softly trailing spillover plants like variegated ivy or some of the many beautiful evergreen grasses like Carex ‘Everillo’ or ‘Evergold’. Variegated vinca or berry-covered trailing cotoneasters do the job nicely as well.
As a finale, take your container to the next level by adding unique pieces such as stems of deciduous red-berried holly, large cones and funky bits of drift wood, or pop in a bird feeder for even more interest. To extend the enjoyment of your container, create nighttime magic by working in some battery-operated LED mini-lights, or a lantern with flameless candles.
If you have yet to enjoy a winter container, now is the perfect time to put some life back out on your deck or front porch.