Winter was slow to arrive this year, but when it did it hit with a vengeance! Regardless of its ferocity, winter brings magic to the garden that is not visible at other times of the year. Once considered good practice to raze our gardens to the ground in the fall keeping things ultra neat and tidy, the current trend is towards a more relaxed approach that favours visual interest and aesthetic appeal.
The easiest way to create interest in winter is by using evergreen trees and shrubs. Needle and cone bearing plants such as pines, spruce, junipers, and fir keep their foliage all winter long, in a variety of textures and colours. With or without snow delicately frosting their branches, they help to make up for the lack of other plant material. Woody plants that lose their leaves still provide interesting structure, and in some cases – like dogwoods – colourful bark that stands out against winter white and shoulder-season drabness. Evergreen perennials including grasses such as blue fescue and blue oat grass, and flowering plants like Bergenia may be covered by a blanket of snow at times, but as it melts, they are revealed to showcase foliage in full colour.
Perennials that die to the ground each year, may still have structure that can withstand winter weather. Grasses like Karl Foerster feather reed grass stand strong against wind and snow. Echinacea and yarrow collect snow on their seed heads, while architectural plants like Russian sage and Joe Pye weed add vertical interest.
Besides providing visual relief in a long Calgary winter, leaving plant material standing provides valuable habitat and food for local wildlife species. Now is a great time to look around your neighbourhood for inspiration and ideas from gardens that appear as good in the winter as they do through the growing season. Stay tuned for new workshops and tours organized by the Community Garden this season!
Happy Gardening!
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