Discover winter’s PALETTE
Allow vibrant dogwoods, golden conifers and dainty winter bulbs to shine
Evergreens may blend
into the background for most of the year, but now’s their time to shine. In addition to the golds, silvers and blues of grasses and conifers, there’s a whole palette of contrasting greens to choose from, whether it’s luscious dark green holly or zesty heuchera ‘Lime Marmalade’. Use low-growing and spreading evergreens to hide bare soil and weave them around the base of deciduous shrubs and trees. Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Carpet’ has glaucous blue needles on branches that spread out across the soil, while Asarum europaeum has glossy, heart-shaped green leaves. Colour has a greater impact when the backdrop is pared back, so tiny berries and delicate winter blooms catch the eye. The striking red berries of deciduous holly Ilex verticillata, or Viburnum nudum ‘Pink Beauty’, whose fruits change from white to pink to blue then almost-black, add welcome colour pops. The white blossom of Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ has an exquisite, subtle beauty viewed against a clear blue winter sky. Darker evergreens provide a backdrop for the bright yellow f lowers of winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), vibrant red and orange cornus stems, pyracantha berries, ruffled heuchera foliage and spidery witch hazel flowers. For a cooler palette, combine white-f lowered Helleborus niger with grey-leaved H. argutifolius, ghostly-white Rubus biflorus stems and sparkling white bark of Himalayan birch ‘Grayswood Ghost’. Add in pops of blue-f lowered Iris reticulata, hazy pink heathers, Cyclamen coum and lemon Coronilla valentina ‘Citrina’. The pale glow of winter sun gives the garden a bold monochromatic look, turning evergreens and faded flower stems almost black. Against this stark backdrop, plant your most colourful assets so they glow vibrantly – trees such as Prunus serrula, with its copper-coloured peeling bark, and colourful cornus will smoulder beautifully in winter light.