Best winter shrubs/plants?

Doing my sister's garden for her, and by the time I've finished, most flowers would have stopped blooming, more than likely.

Just wondering what the best winter plants would be for me to plant?

I'm in Salford, North-West England, so we have pretty cold winters, if that's imporant!

Thanks!

 

Some ideas in this recent thread:

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/...lopment/33955-autumn-colour-ideas-please.html

 

Thanks!

Just getting used to the forum, so never thought to search.

 

One of my favourite winter shrubs is the Christmas box, Sarcococca confusa, a nice neat little evergreen plant with shiny leaves. It blooms, as its common name suggests, when most things have packed up for the year. The flowers aren't exactly spectacular; they're tiny white blossoms which are hidden amongst the leaves. However, they make up for this by being very strongly scented. A real winter treat! It's not a fussy shrub - very easy to grow - and it's widely available at garden centres and online.

 

Thanks! Would I be better off buying it asap or nearer to Autumn?

 

I've come to the conclusion that if you buy plants just before they are due to be at their best, then you pay a premium for them, and then you get them home, and they pack up for the year shortly after. Whereas if you buy them after they've put on their show, or long before they are due to do so, they are often much cheaper, and by the time they are due to do their thing, they've had plenty of time to get their toes nice and comfy ready to go.

 

Thanks for the tip! Going to look around for a 'Christmas Box', found one in a 9cm pot for £3.50 online, but I'll probably go to a garden centre and check it out myself.

 

Mahonias are a good winter favourite, there are several varieties available.

Holly's are always good in winter, particularly variegated ones and female or self fertile ones that will carry berries.

The dogwood's (Cornus) are worth a go for their brightly coloured stems, especially against a dark background.

Witch Hazels flower in mid-late winter, they are lovely slow growing small trees.

The shrubby semi-evergreen honeysuckle Lonicera standishii is a lovely shrub, heavily scented small white flowers.

Cornus mas has lots of small yellow flowers from late winter.

Remember it doesn't always have to be about flowers, attractive stems such as the dogwoods or snakebark maples are worth considering; as are plants with attractive/variegated evergreen foilage that might go un-noticed in the summer but come in to their own in the winter.

Hope these few give you something to get started...:thumbs:

 

KyleLeonard, I think I should have added that whatever you choose is likely to be on the small side in its first season and won't give you much impact until it's been growing for a while. Unfortunately for impatient people like me, gardening is usually a slow process!

 

That's what I love about well made artificial plants - instant gratification - or am I being a Phillistein(?) ?

 

I so love my christmas box, Photina Skimmia an my many heleores.

Whitch hazels .

Many spring bulbs .

And its nice to go around a garden centre throught each season to see what is in bloom that catches your eye.

Good luck

 

Phil·is·tine (fl-stn, f-lstn, -tn)
n.
1. A person who seeks instant gratification through the use of artificial plants c.f. Homus erectus philistinus
2.
a. A smug, ignorant, especially middle-class person who is regarded as being indifferent or antagonistic to artistic and cultural values.
b. One who lacks knowledge in a specific area.

:D

 

What about Viburnum bodnantense, eventually makes quite a big shrub and has fantastically scented pink flowers on bare stems in the middle of winter. Hardy up here in north Cumbria, so should be OK in Salford.

 

Thanks, Lorna!

Are Viburnum opulus compactum pretty similar to Viburnum bodnantense? The website I checked has Viburnum bodnantense out of stock, but the others I could buy..

 

Viburnum tinus is another lovely variety; it's evergreen too.....