Date: Fri 20-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: JUDYC

Quick Words:

Twombly-Gardener-Suburban

Full Text:

Suburban Gardener: A Beautiful Garden, In Winter!

"The chill hand of winter cruelly exposes the skeleton of a garden as

efficiently as a butcher's boning knife on a carcass. "

--Geoff Stebbings

BY ANTHONY C. BLEACH

Without flowers and foliage, a garden relies on design and permanent features

to retain its interest and character. You need the undulation of the

landscape, the skeletons of the trees and shrubs, the shape of rocks, the

masses and forms of evergreens.

Line becomes important too. The tracery of leafless boughs, the edges of

paths, fences, trellises and walls. We become aware of new ranges of colors,

like the bronze of the bark of black birches, the yellow of willow branches or

the purple haze of a hillside covered with second growth. The flowering

dogwood, with stratified, exquisitely sculpted branches stretching to the sky,

has never looked more beautiful through the front window.

Recently we toured a winter garden planted at a popular nursery in Monroe. We

were introduced to this magical place by Jay Nathans, whose enthusiasm warmed

us through the frozen morning. He showed us at least fifty plants that are

outstanding for winter interest. I was scribbling as feverishly as a

Washington reporter.

Viburnum sieboldi is one of the few viburnums that are completely successful

as a specimen. It is handsome throughout the season, but at the end of it, is

amazing. The fruit is prodigious and is held long into winter.

Malus ("White Angel") was still carrying a huge crop of dark-red fruit.

Hawthorn ("Winter King") is also a great bearer of winter fruit.

In front of a backdrop of evergreens was a small coppice of Red Twig dogwood,

both "Cardinal," Jay's favorite, and "Elegantissima," which in summer has

blue-green leaves with creamy margins. It was a wonderful effect, only

surpassed by spectacular plantings of Winterberries Ilex verticillata

("Sparkleberry"), "Winter Gold," and best of all, "Winter Red."

As Geoff Stebbings wrote in a recent article, "Nature has no greater contrast

in color than snow-white frost and fiery red berries."

Magnolia virginiana ("Greenbay") was still leafy, like an apple-green

rhododendron, but 20 feet high. M. grandifrond ("Edith Bogue") had lustrous

dark green leaves.

In June, Cladrastis lutea ("Yellowood") is covered with panicles of fragrant

white flowers, but now it is still as impressive, with its bark, like

sculptured stone.

The most important plant element in any winter garden is usually evergreens.

But one does not want to plant too many of them, as the overall effect will

probably be gloomy. Also, chose some for specimens, that are a little unusual.

Pinus strobus ("Contorta") as an example. It has twisty needles that are also

of interesting texture.

Another would be the Japanese Plum Yew, Cephalotaxus harringtonia . It is a

superb, shade tolerant evergreen, with long black needles arranged in a

bottlebrush effect. And resident gardener Ken Twombly asserts it is deerproof.

I did not note but now remember how effective and colorful were the Japanese

Andromedas too. Lots of glossy red leaves in the middle of shapely green

shrubs. New growth was also a brilliant red on Leucothoe fontanesiana

("Scarletta"). It has a cascading form and is a choice shrub for shade.

For sun, "Gray Owl" juniper, at three feet high, is a very useful and elegant

fowl. There were lots of Japanese maples in bright colors and interesting

shape and beautiful cinnamon skinned Paperbark Maples (Acer griseum).

One of the best cures for my late winter blues was a crimson patch of the

heather "Robert Chapman." It has red and yellow leaves in winter and lavender

colored flowers later. But I marveled most at Witch Hazel, "Arnold's Promise,"

covered with honey yellow blooms encrusted with icicles.

(Anthony C. Bleach coordinates the horticulture degree program at Naugatuck

Valley College in Waterbury.)