Winter Garden Interest V - Berries and Broadleaf Evergreens
Another shrub that comes highly recommended, even if it's not hardy for me, is Nandina (heavenly bamboo). Nandina looks somewhat bamboo-like, thus its nickname. But there is a real bamboo, Farghesia nitida which is extremely cold hardy and evergreen - plus, since it spreads by clumping rather than runners it will not take over the neighborhood.
And then there is Buxus - Boxwood - reliably green and such a wonderful shrub to use as an edging for a flower border - providing both color and structure.
Other broadleaf evergreens include the live oak (Quercus virginiana) which gets huge and so is not for the small property unless you want to be strictly a shade gardener) Southern magnolia (magnolia grandiflora) and Abelia x grandiflora which has leaves that turn purple with cold. Several members of the barberry family also keep their leaves, as do the common members of the Mahonia family. And don't forget the ubiquitous privet - overused and trite - but evergreen.
Some of you lucky people can grow camellias year round. Camellia sasanqua adds to its glory be being evergreen. Camellia japonica is also evergreen - which seems quite unfair to us northerners who can benefit neither from the lovely flowers or the sorely needed winter color that is so much less of a problem for southerners. Southerners also have a bit more luck growing Daphne - a finicky narrow leaf evergreen that blooms so early it is almost a winter-bloomer.
But if you've been following this series of plants for winter interest you can see that there is no excuse for a winter in black and white. There is plenty of plant material out there to create interest in all four seasons.
In fact, stay tuned - yes - there is more to come - next is a group of evergreen perennials. Are you as surprised as I am at how much color we can have in our gardens in winter?
If only I had thought to plant all of my colorful things together where they could easily be seen. So take this as a warning not to do as I did - but to consider what I have said.
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