Winter Garden Interest V - Berries and Broadleaf Evergreens

shrubs is that most are inedible or even poisonous - and so somewhat deer resistant. Notice I say "somewhat" - if your area is overpopulated with deer, or if food is scarce because of deep snow cover, a hungry deer will eat anything. Another advantage to these trees and shrubs is that they tend to be very neat. They don't drop their leaves - so require a minimum of raking and tidying.

The first one that jumps to my mind is the rhododendron. The large green leaves stay green all year, although in winter they tend to droop - and if it's a dry winter they start to roll up like hanging cigars to protect whatever moisture it already has. One lovely thin about the rhododendron is that you can see its buds all winter - a real sign of hope. Magnolias do the same things - only better. They may not have leaves - but they have buds that look as if they're about to burst into bloom any second. Somehow those buds are reassuring to me.

But enough of the sculptural bareness - let's look at other broad-leafed evergreen - shrubs that stay clothed all winter - which seems SO sensible! One wonders why the others are in such a hurry to get undressed just as the cold season arrives. Mountain laurel is another shrub that stays glossy and evergreen. And take a good look at the evergreen azaleas - their leaves are a lovely burgundy color in winter.

My euonymous, chosen because it's pale gold and green branches almost match the colors of the house itself, retain that color all year. Have I mentioned yet how warming the sight of golden foliage can be in a gray winter day? Pieris is another good shrub for winter - and it gets more exciting as winter draws to a close and it brings forth a welcome topknot of bright new foliage.

There are a couple of plants that I vacillate on categorizing - sometimes I think of them as perennials and at other times they seem like shrubs. But my island of dwarf conifers also holds many heaths and heathers that are colorful all winter long - and many of them actually bloom in the snow. Lavender is another perennial herb that holds its silvery foliage all winter - although some may find silver to be less than inspiring in

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