WASHINGTON GARDENER
Winter Plant Picks
BY KATHY JENTZ
Wintertime and the new calendar year is a great period for reassess- ing and resetting. That is true in the garden as well. While the leaves DUHR̆ WKHWUHHVDQGWKHSHUHQQLDOVKDYHGLHGEDFNWRWKHJURXQGLWLV a good time to walk your landscape and see where you could use more evergreens and other all-season interests, such as trees with interest- ing bark or bulbs that bloom in the colder months. +HUH LV D VHOHFWLRQ RI ¿YH SODQWV WR FRQVLGHU DGGLQJ ² RU DGGLQJ more of — to your garden for winter interest and beyond. JUNIPERS Junipers ( -XQLSHUXVVS ) are evergreen shrubs that are a great ad- dition to any garden. They come in many shades of green from aqua blue to bright citrus yellow. 7KHUHDUHPRUHWKDQVSHFLHVRIMXQLSHUDQGRIWKRVHDUHQD - WLYHWRWKH8QLWHG6WDWHV2QHRIWKHPRVWFRPPRQLVWKH(DVWHUQ5HG Cedar ( Juniperus virginiana ), which is the plant from which gin is sourced as well as the so-called “cedar” wood used in clothing drawers and wardrobes. -XQLSHUV DUH WRXJK SODQWV ,Q JHQHUDO WKH\ DUH VDOWWROHUDQW drought-tolerant, and can cope with many soil types. They prefer to grow in full sun and good drainage. Junipers should not be planted too close together so they can have good air circulation around them. They do not respond well to pruning, so plant them in a spot where WKH\FDQDWWDLQWKHLUIXOOVL]HZLWKRXWLQWHUIHUHQFH,I\RXQRWLFHDQRF - casional dead, broken, or diseased branch, cut it back to the trunk and do not leave a stub sticking out. -XQLSHUVFXOWLYDUVDUHZLGHO\DYDLODEOHDQGDUHEUHGLQPDQ\VL] - es and shapes from wide, round forms to straight, tall specimens. They can be used in combination with other evergreens, and make handsome hedges. They are good plants for holding in slopes and as a JURXQGFRYHU'ZDUIMXQLSHUVDUHRIWHQSODFHGLQFRQWDLQHUFRPELQD - tions, as well as used in miniature garden railways and rock gardens. AUCUBA Spotted Laurel ( $XFXEDMDSRQLFD ) is a large, evergreen shrub also NQRZQDV-DSDQHVH/DXUHODQG*ROG/HDI3ODQW7KLVSODQWLVJURZQIRU its striking variegated foliage with yellow or white spots or streaks — there is also a plain green kind. This shade-loving plant is great for a spot in the back of the border WRDGGVRPHEULJKWIROLDJHLQWHUHVWRUDVDKHGJH,WWROHUDWHVGU\VRLOV DQGDLUSROOXWLRQZHOO,WLVHDV\WRSURSDJDWHQHZSODQWVIURPFXWWLQJV ,W KDV ORQJODVWLQJ UHG IUXLWV WKDW DSSHDU LQ WKH IDOO WKDW DUH DOVR DW - tractive. To produce the fruit, you must have male and female plants nearby to each other. $XFXEDW\SLFDOO\JURZVWRIHHWZLGHDQGKLJK,WFDQEHSUXQHG LQVSULQJWRNHHSLWVVL]HLQFKHFN7KHUHDUHDOVRGZDUIYDULHWLHVDYDLO - DEOH,WLVKDUG\WR=RQHVWR DQGLVQDWLYHWR$VLD$XFXEDFDQEH grown in containers outdoors, and also does well as a house plant. Plant it in a protected spot out of prevailing winds and direct sun in well-draining soil. This is a low-maintenance, easy-care plant. PYRACANTHA Firethorn ( 3\UDFDQWKDVS ) is an evergreen shrub loaded with col- orful red or orange berries. This easy-to-grow plant can be pruned into various shapes and used as a hedge, espalier, bonsai, or landscape specimen. The best time to prune Firethorn is late winter or very early spring, so as not to impact the number of berries you will get later in the growing season. 'HSHQGLQJ RQ WKH YDULHW\ RI )LUHWKRUQ \RX VHOHFW LW LV JHQHUDOO\ KDUG\WR]RQHVWRDQGFDQJURZXSWRIHHWZLGHDQGKLJK<RX FDQVKHDULWDQQXDOO\WRFRQWDLQWKHVL]H7KHµ0RMDYH¶FXOWLYDUZDVGH - YHORSHGDWWKH861DWLRQDO$UERUHWXPDQGLVYHU\KHDWWROHUDQW,WLV also considered to be reliably deer-resistant. )LUHWKRUQSUHIHUVIXOOVXQEXWZLOOWROHUDWHSDUWVXQ,WOLNHVZHOO drained, sandy soils and is drought-tolerant once established. Pick
Aucuba
Juniper
Pyracantha Winter Aconite your planting location carefully as it does not like to be moved or transplanted. Firethorn can be propagated by taking cuttings in the summertime. ,WLVLQWKHURVHIDPLO\DQGKDVVKDUSWKRUQVWKDWPDNHLWXVHIXODVD QDWXUDOVHFXULW\EDUULHU%LUGVDQGVPDOOPDPPDOVOLNHWRKLGHLQVLGH Firethorn and build nests in them, as they provide excellent protection IURPODUJHSUHGDWRUV%LUGVORYHWRHDWWKHORQJODVWLQJEHUULHVDVZHOO This plant is originally from Eurasia and is sometimes mistaken for Cotoneaster, which is thornless. WINTER ACONITE Winter Aconite ( Eranthis hyemalis ) is a spring ephemeral that ap- pears and disappears in the later-winter garden in a matter of days. ,WLVDPHPEHURIWKHEXWWHUFXSIDPLO\DQGLVQDWLYHWRVRXWKHUQDQG eastern Europe. :LQWHU$FRQLWHLVDOVRFODVVL¿HGDVDPLQRUEXOELQFRPSDULVRQWR WKHODUJHUDQGVKRZLHUGD̆ RGLOVWXOLSVDQGOLOLHVLQRXUJDUGHQV(YHQ though it is quite small, it still packs a punch with its bright-yellow ÀRZHUVLQWKHEOHDNZLQWHUODQGVFDSH,WSUHIHUVWRJURZXQGHUGHFLG - XRXVWUHHVVXFKDV2DNVDQGOLNHVULFKKXPXV\VRLOV,WFDQWROHUDWH wetter locations than most bulbs. ,WLVDJUHDWVRXUFHRIQHFWDUIRUWKH¿UVWIRUDJLQJEHHVRIWKHVHDVRQ 2QRYHUFDVWGD\VWKHÀRZHUVVWD\FORVHGWKHQRQFOHDUGD\VWKH\RSHQ up to the sun’s warming rays. ,QWKHIDOOVRDNWKHWXEHUVRYHUQLJKWWKHQSODQWWKHPDQLQFKGHHS continued on page 28
PATHWAYS—Winter 22—27
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