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At Foggy Bottom, we know that when the westerly winds increase in strength and bring rain, interspersed with a few sharp frosts, we are on the verge of winter. The leaves start to tumble, the last to go being the oaks. The days get rapidly shorter and there are fewer fine ones to enjoy. Only the keenest gardeners are out at this blustery time, busying themselves with sweeping up the last of the leaves, making use of some as a protective mulch (oak leaves are particularly good for this) for the more tender plants and keeping them in place with a small branch or two. By now, the heavier soils may be too wet to work on, but planting and preparation can still continue on good days. Frost on well-dug garden soil does more good than anything garden tools can do to break down clay and heavy loam. Given the shorter days and inclement weather, it is hardly surprising that most people are not anxious to garden at this time of year. But, if winter features have already been planted there is much to look forward to and enjoy, either during forays outdoors on good days or from indoors on bad days. Even something as simple as a window box planted with a cheering array of colourful winter foliage and winter-flowering plants, or a terracotta container planted with a good selection of differently shaded evergreens can be sufficient to brighten an aspect, however small.
Dwarf shrubs, perennials and bulbs can all play apart depending on the size and aspect of your window boxes or containers. If you plan to plant some shrubs in your garden in spring that are suitable for window boxes, too, why not order them early and put them in your window box, still in their pots, over winter? Dwarf conifers can be selected from mid-autumn, as can winter-flowering heathers, the best value perhaps being in Erica x darleyensis types which flower from late autumn until late spring. Mix in a few yellow and gold Calluna vulgaris to brighten things up. Dwarf shrubs with good winter foliage colour have to include Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘ii’ Gold’ and ‘Emerald Gaiety’ and perhaps Hebe ‘Red Edge’ which is red-tipped in winter. Skimmias are good for their evergreen foliage and their flowers and fruits. Larger-growing shrubs like Elaeagnus pungens ‘Maculata’, variegated holly or Aucuba will provide splashes of colour, and one of the dogwoods — Cornus alba or C. sanguinea cultivars — will give colourful stem colour. Why not use perennials like Iris unguicularis, Bergenia ‘Bressingham Ruby: Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, Helleborus niger or Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon ‘to give a combination of scented flowers, ruby red leaves, black foliage, classic white flowers and bright golden leaves.
 
Containers for the Winter Season
For patios, terraces, courtyards or even balconies there are innumerable plants which can give autumn, winter or early spring interest. The selection in this group of containers offers year-round diversity and colour by including deciduous and evergreen plants n shrubs and a few perennials and grasses. Of the plants listed here, the following will all do well in shady or semi-shady positions: Hedera colchica ‘Dentata Variegata’, Acer palmatum ‘Senkaki’, Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’, Camellia ‘Donation’ and the mixed planting of Skimmia reevesiana, Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’ and Sarcococca x confusa. The remainder all prefer sun. Although all of these plants, except Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’ which must be put under cover during frosty periods, can stand light autumn frosts, the Camellia, Viburnum and Prunus require protection during prolonged winter frost in exposed situations. Other plants such as dwarf conifers and a wide range of evergreen shrubs, including heaths and heathers, can be equally successful and attractive, even more so when used in combinations.
Best potted from spring to late summer are: Carex comans ‘Bronze Form’, Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’, Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’ and Camellia ‘Donation’. But all could be potted in early autumn if given the protection of a cold greenhouse.
1 Acer palmatum ‘Senkaki’
2 Bergenia ‘Bressingham Ruby’
3 Camellia ‘Donation’
4 Carex comans ‘Bronze Form’
5 Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filfera Nana’
6 Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’
7 Cornus sanguinea ‘Winter Flame’
8 Erica carnea or E. x darleyensis
9 Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald ‘n’ Gold’
10 Hakonechloa macra ‘Alboaurea’
11 Hedera colchica ‘Dentata Variegata’
12 Juniperus x media ‘Gold Sovereign’
13 Juniperus x media ‘Sulphur Spray’
14 Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’
15 Salix x sepulcralis ‘Erythroflexuosa’
16 Sarcococca x confusa
17 Skimmia reevesiana
18 Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price' |
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