Tough plants provide interest throughout winter at Bourton House

Home Depot

Our 2-for-1 Gardens are filled with interest all year round, even in winter. Join us this month and use your 2-for-1 Gardens entry card to experience the stillness and beauty of deep winter.

While a light hand is apropos for many pruning jobs, sometimes a judicious but heavy hand is needed. Rejuvenation pruning is a heavy-handed but efficient method to bring overlooked, overgrown, and mismanaged shrubs back to their full potential. It is performed by removing every branch at or a few inches above ground level with a sturdy hand saw, loppers, or even a small chainsaw. For many shrubs in Mid-Atlantic gardens, winter is the perfect time to perform rejuvenation pruning. This is because in our zonal range, most woody plants are dormant and therefore exposed cuts are less likely to become pathways for pests and diseases (which are also dormant). And, when spring weather finally arrives, the shrubs will be perfectly poised  to push new, healthy growth.   

Winter heath (Erica carnea, Zones 5-8) is surprisingly absent from our Northeastern gardens. Species in the heath genus (Erica) are often confused or lumped in with heather (Calluna vulgaris, Zones 4-7). While heather cultivars can still be found at many garden centers and online nurseries, you may wish to avoid planting them. This species has been reported as invasive in the Northeast and parts of the Midwest. While it may not appear to spread around one’s garden, in wild areas, especially alpine, high-elevation, and coastal areas, heather has been documented as impacting the displacement of some native plants. Learn more about heaths and heathers.

Without a doubt one of the best parts about gardening in the Southeast is winters that are temperate yet still bring seasonality to the garden. I’m grateful that we don’t often get bone-chilling cold that lasts for days and weeks on end. Many gardeners in colder climates spend their winters waiting for spring. As gardeners in the Southeast, we can plan for vibrant gardens with winter interest in mind. For our purposes, we will define “winter” as December through February. For this article I will take you on a journey through the plants that are looking good in my winter garden in eastern Tennessee during these few months. I’ve made a note of the date I took the photo of each plant to give you a feeling of how the season progresses throughout my garden in the Southeast.

Greenhouses have an abundance of benefits that can allow you to make the most of your plants. If you’re considering investing in a greenhouse but are still not sure whether to buy one, read on for our ‘need to know’ advice.

Better Homes & Gardens

Q: I’m going away for Christmas, but I’m a bit concerned about all my houseplants in my absence. Do you think it would be a good idea to get a friend to pop by (we’ll be gone for nearly a fortnight) to water them while I’m gone? SK, Dublin

Plants with a silvery sheen stand out beautifully against the sea of green that fills most garden beds. In this episode, Danielle, Carol, and their guest will highlight some shimmering shrubs, drought-tolerant perennials, a tiny dwarf conifer, and even an unusual silvery vine with a bit of a back story. Perhaps one of these lovely, luminous plants could be the silver bullet solution to one of your own garden design dilemmas.

With their glossy leaves and festive red berries, skimmia are made for Christmas. What’s more, these compact evergreen shrubs are a super choice for small gardens, and they grow well in containers for courtyard or balcony gardeners. If you yearn to gather your own greenery for Christmas decorations, but don’t have room for a holly, a couple of choice skimmias could be just the thing – and because they’re prickle free, making those decorations will be far less painful!

Who doesn’t love a gorgeous arrangement of snapdragons in the spring? Not only do these flowers keep their blooms for several months, but they often come in beautiful bold colors and gentle ombre varieties.

An attractively planted container will bring colour and interest to your garden even in the depths of winter when all around is dormant, waiting for the spring. A winter container can be squeezed into almost any garden space, whether a small balcony or patio, or they can take pride of place on your doorstep. Here we share some of our favourite plants for containers, guaranteed to brighten up the darkest of days. Our choices include recommendations from the Gardeners’ World team and familiar faces from across the gardening industry.