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Magical Winter Gardens

It feels like it's been a long winter already with short days, grey skies and now snow on the way.

What gardens do you visit at this time of year to lift your spirits? My favourites are Anglesey Abbey (with its Himalayan silver birches in the picture) and Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

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And what winter plants help to lift the gloom in your own winter garden? For me it would have to be my vibrant dogwoods and colourful crops like oca and kale. But visiting birds like waxwings and cheerful containers by the front door also bring some welcome winter sparkle.

I've been reminding myself of the joys of a winter garden, even in a small space, on the blog this week, with three articles covering evergreen structure, winter flowers, scent, bark, stems, containers, crops and seed heads. Hope the images and ideas help to spread a little magic this winter image

https://dogwooddays.net/2017/12/09/creating-a-winter-garden-part-3/

Posts

  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154

    The mass of 'hips' on Rosa 'Parkdirektor Riggers' glow in the winter sunshine ; huge clumps of Schizostylis still flowering ; many leaves on my Liquidambar have survived the winds and still fiery-red and yellow . Even my Lobelia tupa is still blooming outside . Havn't seen any snow here yet (E.Lincs.) !

    Large grasses still look good against the fresh bluish-green foliage of my Cunninghamia lanceolata . I cut this to ground years ago only to find it regenerating in the Spring ; another of the few conifers to do so !

    Personally I relish the winter months as a resting period for my plants , though not necessarily for me !image

  • Thanks for this Paul B3 - some interesting new plants to look up too - I like the rose and have never heard of conifers regenerating. Fascinating! Grasses in winter are one thing I missed out of my articles as I don't have space for many so don't have good images, but they do look amazing in winter frosts. Enjoy the garden's winter glory! :)

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