Winter Interest in the garden - part 1 - Evergreens.

I fully agree with you Spritz. I have a few, I must say smaller specimens in my garden of Box clipped into different shapes, two Golden Irish Yews a few shrubs for winter interest and Lonicera nitilda that has been clipped into the shape of a squirel through a wire mesh.

I have a few evergreen plants in my garden, and you are right they do give a bit of interest in winter, i was going to take a photo of them over xmas.

I'd love to see them. Clarice!

We agree Spritz.
All gardens need to have what we call a good 'evergreen backbone' but not just for the winter months- they are essential for all year interest . The evergreens add structure, texture, form and colour.We have some very big evergreens in our garden although the space is small, so for folks who have a tiny garden don't be afraid to incorporate big trees, evergreens and specimen plants.They help to give the illusion of more space, and they help to mask the boundaries.

Although its essential for us to have the evergreens at this time of year in the U.K, we mustn't forget our international friends on G.O.Y will have the benefits of different seasons and climates right now.

They will probably also have lots of colour in their gardens depending on their locations.

You are right, Grenville - I shall edit my blog at once!

Evergreens are my favourite plants, perhaps because I don't like to fiddle about with annuals!! Look foward to more of your blogs of this subject.

how refreshing Spritz, really enjoyed reading this, and yes i do agree, not a fan of conifers myself, but you defo need some winter interest, i only have a small garden, but have been trying to add more and more winter interest recently, and i am really pleased with the results, although as it is a new garden which has been done on a buget, so a lot of my shrubs and trees have been bought small, will take a while before having the desired efect, but all part of the fun to see them grow. just to mention a few that i have chosen; Phormium, evergreen grasses, Photinia, Mahonia - a favorite of mine!, Rhododendron, Euonymus, Skimmia are among a few, Hebe 'hartbreaker' is stunning this time of year, as the pink seems to get pinker as well as some perennial plants that have winter interest. my dianthus pinks, have lovely blue grey clumps of grass like leaves this time of year, and the added bonus of beautiful scented flower through out summer, the list really is endless, and evergreen does'nt have to be big to be interesting, i was lucky enough to inherit a large holly tree and my pride and joy, 7ft Pieris. so i do have one or two big boys, that reall do provide back bone and stucture to the garden all year round.

Thanks for your reply Spritz.

G.O.Y now serves an international membership, and not all members will be experiencing the 'English winter' in their gardens at this point of time.

They are probably basking in wonderful sunshine while we shiver!

Your garden is looking really well Spritz.We too have evergreens cant imagine the place without them.Have mahonia,hellebores hebes and our favourites,,,,evergreen ferns.Also along the side of the cottage a winter flowering honeysuckle.

We have a good selection of evergreens , I couldn,t imagine not having them either. they are the backbones , I have several hollies which we do swear about when all the prickly leaves fall amongst the other plants , having said that I couldn,t imagine the garden without them , we also have a large monkey puzzle which I should ask advice about as it shows signs of dying lower branches . I will ask advice later !

You are so right, Spritz! Our new garden is still as green as the day we moved in in September, thanks to its evergreen background. yet still, I overlook its usefulness at this time of year, for its loveliness outdoors, or for bringing some indoors for festive decor (must make a last-ditch effort). Well done, for highlighting these beauties, looking forward to the next blog!

Already looking forward to part 2

Yes, Marguerite it is a Fatsia. It may well have a starring role in another blog! lol.

Interesting blog Spritz, it fascinates me how you have plants that adjusts well to the seasons, especially the winter. A Lovely garden you have and the conifers are beautiful!!

Await the next blog, you are lucky to have a large garden but as you say you can always keep your plants pruned to fit a small plot, sometimes it is more difficult with a smaller garden, well it is for me because I collect plants, just cant help it.

Just had another look at your blog, just in case I missed anything! What is the plant in the last but one photo? It is really attractive; some info about any special needs would be great. Thanks.

Hallo Gee - thanks for 'visiting' again! The plant in question is a Drymis lanceolata. It can grow into a largish shrub; it likes a sheltered position as it is not completely hardy. I like it, too! I think Andrew also has one - a bit bigger than mine.

Thank you, Spritz. As its not completely hardy it is probably not a good idea for my garden, unfortunately - cold winds whip across and it is often very frosty. Shame!

Thanks for prompting me to look at your blog Spritz! Glad you did because really interesting and helpful to a novice like me. Just off to catch up on part two!

Wonderful blog. Maybe a larch will move in next year, at least I know it'll live! They naturalize along the road in one spot and are a wonder year round. I leave everything buried under the snow for protection, but even in a frozen environment like mine, plants that sleep in winter can be brought in a conservatory or even just winter up in a cold closet or in front of the window, I've more ideas for bringing in all seasons of the garden now! I might add, bergenia lives through each year even here and blooms through the whole summer!