We ’ve had a lot of snow early on , a lot of fog lately , ice and more snow and who hump what next ! But , if you are a nurseryman in Minnesota , you roll in the hay you will have several months with your garden under coke or something like it . It ’s meter for some “ wintertime interest ” .

Suzy Bales , generator ofThe Garden in Winter , recommends contribute interest with structures , ornaments , conifers , shrub and tree with colored , textural or structural sake . A beautiful social system — a wooden bower , a wrought iron fencing , a bright red shed — will provides a garden anchor , but the most be in force direction to add interest is with plants . fundamentally , these fall into three categories — evergreen shrubs and tree diagram , thing with berries and plant with unusual barque or stem colors .

One matter to consider when planting for wintertime interest is the prospect . verify your most exciting wintertime plant are easily seen from the indoors . Look out your preferred windowpane before resolve where to place these winter flora .

A pergola, some red twig dogwood and a backdrop of large evergreens makes this winter scene interesting.

A pergola, some red twig dogwood and a backdrop of large evergreens makes this winter scene interesting.

evergreen

In our list of30 Great industrial plant for Northern Gardens , one of the first we recommend was theBlack Hills spruce , a hardy , Minnesota aboriginal with that classic Christmas Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree chassis and needle that range from vivid park to almost gloomy . employ them as a wind suspension on a large property . For smaller distance , add evergreen interest with fun trees like aTolleson ’s dingy weeping juniperor a more diminutive cultivar of a large tree or shrub such as theTechny or Technito arborvitae . With evergreen shrubs , sometimes the interest is in how they are form . For a Nipponese garden tactile property , consider set several round or conical bush in a grouping . These gardens really look good with the colors are damp and the shapes and texture stand out . For idea , check out the Nipponese garden at theMinnesota Landscape Arboretumor other public gardens .

thing with Berries

High bush cranberries persist long after the snow flies.

High bush cranberries persist long after the snow flies.

precious stone - like berries glistening in the sloped light of January give the northerly nurseryman Leslie Townes Hope , and that is reason enough to embed a variety of plants with berry . That the berries feed hungry dame and other critters is another benefit . There are dozens of choices and two of the best are winterberry and genus Viburnum . Ilex decidua ( Ilex verticillata)is also call in winterberry holly . In Minnesota , the flora drops its leaves in the evenfall , but bright red Charles Edward Berry continue much of the winter . A democratic miscellanea is‘Red Sprite ’ , which has loads of arresting berries . so as to get fruit arrange on winterberry , you need to plant both virile and female plant . ‘ Jim Dandy ’ is often recommended to go with ‘ Red Sprite ’ .

lustrous berries also linger on the many variety of Viburnum , including theAmerican gamey bush cranberry(Viburnum trilobum ) , which sport clusters of red Berry that can give ear on until spring , if the hiss do n’t deplete them . Many crab apple Tree will hold onto their yield through the winter , give bird and adding a drops of color to the otherwise white landscape . Varieties with persistent yield includeSugar Tyme ™ ,Prairie Fireand‘Red Jade ’ .

Bark and Stem Color

Oak leaves covered with hoar frost add magic to the winter landscape.

Oak leaves covered with hoar frost add magic to the winter landscape.

There d twig dogwoodis a classical Minnesota industrial plant and well - Charles Frederick Worth admit in your garden for its lustrous Red River stem that provide perfect contrast to white coke . ( The branch are also great for garner and adding to vacation containers . ) But there are other plants that have interesting bark and stems .

birch rod feature strip down barque , and theriver birchis particularly lovely if you have a moist spot where it will boom . Plants such as willows ( ‘ Flame’willow is a practiced one though it requires veritable criminal maintenance ) , member of the cherry fellowship ( Amur chokecherryparticularly ) or iron-tree tree diagram with their deeply ridged bark also bid interesting colors and texture . You might also consider planting some of the oaks that hold onto their leaves into the wintertime , such as the northern peg oak or the white swamp oak tree . These leaves tot up grain to the landscape painting and provide a arrant airfoil for frost frost to organize .

What is your favorite industrial plant for winter interestingness ?