This diverse mix of trees, shrubs, and perennials will keep your garden looking gorgeous from December through February
Without a dubiousness one of the good division about gardening in the Southeast is winters that are temperate yet still bring seasonality to the garden . I ’m grateful that we do n’t often get bone - chilling cold that lasts for days and hebdomad on end . Many gardener in cold clime pass their winter waiting for bound . As gardeners in the Southeast , we can plan for vivacious gardens with winter interest in mind . For our purpose , we will specify “ wintertime ” as December through February . For this article I will take you on a journey through the plants that are looking good in my wintertime garden in eastern Tennessee during these few months . I ’ve made a note of the date I took the exposure of each plant life to give you a feeling of how the season build up throughout my garden in the Southeast .
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Curve-leaf yucca
Name : Yucca gloriosavar.tristissyn . Yucca recurvifoliasyn . Yucca gloriosavar.recurvifolia
Zones : 7 - 11
Size : 4 to 6 foot improbable and wide
Conditions : Full sun ; well - enfeeble filth
Photo Taken : December 25
Yuccas of all kinds add structure to the winter garden . To me , bend - leafage yucca is one of the most elegant . It loves to be planted in full Dominicus with good drainage . However , I do n’t find out it excessively ill-tempered . This plant can be long - lived and hard to remove , so ensure you localise it exactly where you want it .
Delavay’s schefflera
Name : Scheffleradelavayi
Size : 10 to 15 ft tall and 5 to 8 feet all-inclusive
experimental condition : Partial shade ; well - debilitate soil
Photo Taken : January 10
I get more excited aboutthis plantevery twelvemonth . Delavay ’s schefflera has magnanimous , broad , attractive leave that are evergreen . In wintertime , seed mature and shower over the foliation . It seems to like being planted in afternoon specter .
‘HGC Josef Lemper’ hellebore
Name : Helleborus niger‘HGC Josef Lemper ’
Zones : 3–8
Size : 1 foundation grandiloquent and 1 to 2 feet broad
Conditions : Partial shade ; moist , well - debilitate soil
Photo Taken : January 16
false hellebore are an exciting group of plant life for North American gardener . They can be grown almost anywhere . What makes this metal money , Hellborus Niger River , and peculiarly this cultivar , ‘ HGC Josef Lemper ’ so special is how early and how long it blossom . bloom as early as December , it puts on a show that endure for several weeks . Flowers fade from decipherable whitened to chartreuse green .
Eastern sowbread
Name : Cyclamen coum
Zones : 5 - 8
sizing : 3 to 6 inch grandiloquent and wide
Photo Taken : January 31
Gardeners in the Southeast can go down a recollective route of fixation for Cyclamen purpurascens , but not every mintage is well - suited for this region . My cyclamen - loving friends tell me ivy - leave behind Cyclamen purpurascens ( Cyclamen hederifolium , zone 4 - 8) is the easiest to grow , but that one is a fall bloomer . If you need a winter gem , Eastern sowbread is at the top of my list . Plant tubers under deciduous tree . This industrial plant is attractive in leafage and flower .
Reticulated iris
Name : Iris reticulata
Zones : 5 - 9
Size : 3 to 4 inches marvellous and broad
Pick plants that still have something going on in the dead of winter so that your garden looks good year-round.
condition : Full sun to fond shade ; well - drained soil
Photo Taken : February 9
Surprise ! That ’s how reticulated iris greets gardeners on a winter ramble . establish it en masse on the edge of seam and enjoy its early blooms . This plant is perhaps not as long - lived as other fall - planted bulbs , so plant a few more every twelvemonth . It couple well with snowdrops ( Galanthusspp . and cvs . , Zones 3 - 9 ) for an other - season show .
Yuccas like this Margaritaville™ curve-leaf yucca (Yucca gloriosa var. tristis ‘Hinvargas’, Zones 7-11) maintain their structure even when covered in snow.
Blue atlas cedar
Name : Cedrus atlantica‘Glauca ’
Zones : 6 - 9
Size : 40 to 60 pes marvelous and 30 to 40 feet wide
Even in January, Delavay’s schefflera brings a tropical vibe to the garden.
Photo Taken : February 14
Conifers in general are the kings and queen of the winter garden . Conifers with blue foliage seem to move even more in cold months . aristocratical atlas cedar is one of my favorites for its standout texture and color . In the Southeast , make certain you do n’t plant this or other coniferous tree too deeply to ascertain proficient drain . For my picks on other stand - out cedar for the Southeast , clickhere .
‘Jelena’ witch hazel
Name : Hamamelis x intermedia‘Jelena ’
sizing : 15 to 20 foundation tall and 10 to 15 feet wide
Photo Taken : February 15
Turn to hellebores like ‘HGC Josef Lemper’ for beautiful blooms in the middle of winter.
‘ Jelena ’ witch hazel is a top shrub for those looking to add more wintertime interest to their gardens . It performs well in the understory or in more sun with equal wet . This cultivar does a good Book of Job of shedding its leaves in the nightfall so flowers are even more noticeable during their winter bloom .
Japanese cornel dogwood
Name : Cornusofficinalis
size of it : 15 to 25 feet tall and wide-eyed
Conditions : Full sun to partial shadiness ; metier wet , well - drained soil
This cyclamen species has mottled leaves and pretty purple blooms.
Photo Taken : February 17
If you lovedogwoods , you need to add this little - known beauty to your list . exfoliate bark shine in the winter sun and its inordinately other heyday are delicious . These efflorescence will yield to smart cerise berries late in the season . This plant is well-nigh disease and pest loose .
Parney cotoneaster
Name : Cotoneaster lacteus syn . Cotoneaster coriaceussyn . Cotoneaster parneyi
size of it : 6 to 8 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide
If there is a cotoneaster that has more yield per square inch than this one , I do n’t have sex it ! Parney cotoneaster is a idle , open bush with beautiful foliation and arching stems during the time of year . In fall , long - lasting fruit develops and hang on for an extended period of time . This Asiatic mintage has been jazz to take to the woods the confines of cultivation in California , but I have not seen this same proceeds in the Southeast . It would make an outstanding promiscuous hedging that will give you flowers in the spring and a fruit display in fall and winter .
‘Pauline’ reticulated iris (Iris reticulata ‘Pauline’, Zones 5-9) has flowers that can range from blue to purple.
Double drama ® Candy Corn ® Japanese spiraea
Name : Spiraea japonica‘NCSX1 ’
Zones : 4 - 8
Blue-colored conifers stand out in stark contrast against other trees in the off season.
Size : 1 to 1½ substructure marvellous and 1½ to 2½ feet wide
shape : Full sun to fond wraith ; moist , well - drained soil
Photo Taken : February 18
‘Jelena’ witch hazel offers hot-colored blooms in shades of yellow, red, and orange.
This is a smaller spirea that has one of its best moments in late wintertime . Frost tolerant new leafage emerges bright red when there is still plenty of coldness in the strain . Later in the time of year , the foliage transition to hues of gold and orange tree . The pink efflorescence are sterile , which alleviates worry about invasiveness and gives the plant itself even more energy to put on fabulous displays of foliage .
taste any one of these plant to add winter pursuit to your garden . easily yet , plant them all to keep the show rolling through December , January , and February .
For even more on winter sake in the Southeast , check out :
Japanese cornel dogwood’s abundant little yellow flowers make this tree look like forsythia (Forsythia spp. and cvs., Zones 3-9) when in full bloom.
And for more Southeast regional story , clickhere .
Andy Pulte is a staff member in the plant sciences department at the University of Tennessee .
photo : Andy Pulte
Parney cotoneaster’s bright red fruits contrast well with its dark olive-green leaves.
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