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winter gardening
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Posted by rmargaret 7; Atl, GA (My Page) on Mon, Nov 17, 08 at 14:49
| Hello all--I have a challenge! My 'garden' is a triangle shape, 3ft by 12ft. It gets no morning sun, but full and direct afternoon sun starting at approximately 1:00 PM till sundown. It is oriented West, Southwest. I can't put anything big in there, but I would love to add some winter interest to my garden...I've extended the season on either side of winter, but December and January are dead months in my garden!! Any suggestions? Oh, I do have a climbing rose in the middle leaning up against the house, artemisia on either side of that, and ground cover poppies as well. Those are basically the only things that I'd have to plant around. |
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RE: winter gardening
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| When I had to relocate to a "northern clime" zone 7 from zone 9, I was really depressed in winter. I am adjusting better this year, and I have been adding winter plants. Here are some I have added and perhaps they would fit your situation. You may have to do some research on how big they get, or find some dwarf varieties. Pieris, camellia, various hollies (yaupon, Foster's, deciduous), regular and dwarf nandina, hellebores, Mahonia, carolina jessamine, cleyera, dwarf alberta spruce, ornamental cabbage/kale, violas, pansies, some herbs like thyme. Hope some of this will work for you. And, even though it is not December yet, my knockout roses look awesome right now and some other roses have blooms too. |
RE: winter gardening
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| 3' X 12' is pretty small. You're not going to have much space, considering the other plantings. Generally winter interest comes from evergreen shrubs and trees or other shrubs that offer bark, berries or occasionally, winter flowers, but most of these will easily overwhelm a bed that size. There are some perennials that will hold their foliage through the winter and offer some sort of winter interest - hellebores, heucheras (coral bells), bergenia and a good many varieties of euphorbia come to mind. Also evergreen grasses like carex or variegated liriope (not a grass but close enough). And there's lots of evergreen groundcovers, including some, like wintergreen, that will change color during colder winter weather. You might also look at dwarf conifers - many of these will stay very small and offer a range of colors and textures. Also 'Harbor Dwarf' nandina is a dainty, compact plant with great foliage color in winter. |
RE: winter gardening
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| I'm in GA as well... I have some Autumn ferns that have survived our most recent frost and have changed colors. I believe they are evergreen and look great year round. Pansies of course are the best flowers for the winter and snapdragons seem to do okay as well. |
Great Winter Garden Tips!
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| Here is a great blog post on winter gardening. A great blog that teaches you when and how to harvest your vegetables.
http://blog.mindbites.com/winter-gardening-tips-when-to-harvest-your-vegetables/ |
Here is a link that might be useful: Harvest Plants
RE: winter gardening
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| Have you considered non-plant items for interest. My idea for a small space would include a bird feeder, birds flying in and out add lots of color and interest and don't take up much space. |
RE: winter gardening
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| I'm just a few miles north of you, too cold for tropicals and not cold enough for a lot of the really hardy cold crops, and I know your frustration during winter's misery (I'd rather have 20 degrees and snow than 35 degrees and wind and rain). It sounds like with your small space, possibly a winterberry holly, a late blooming camellia (west exposure might be too much sun in summer), or a dwarf Crepe myrtle for the bark interest. I like the idea of the birdfeeder, but you'll attract more birds with some perches and "hidey holes" like in the dwarf conifers or even a Japanese maple. I'd stay away from nandina's since they can be very invasive, but other plants others have listed would work as well. If I were in your situation of not being sure, I'd probably do the pansies, snapdragons, maybe something green and not too big, and consider a bird feeder. Actually a feeder and birdbath could add interest and a base for annuals or small conifers or a pyramid type holly. The main thing is to make it YOURS! |
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