By Lindsay Bond Totten
Scripps Howard News Service
The perennial border doesn't have to deteriorate into a nonentity in winter. Though most plants are cut back, and those remaining may not present their vibrant best, a little bit of structure is all that's needed to carry the border through those non-blooming months.
By its very nature, the garden in winter requires less interpretation than in summer. That doesn't mean it must be less engaging. A few bold moves can turn the view into a pleasurable one--even more so because the winter border demands no weeding!
Good "bones" begin with good design: a strong line, a stone wall, an evergreen backdrop, distinctive edging. Pick one and make the most of it. That "spine" will support the garden in winter.
Choose a few key winter plants. Dwarf evergreens are good candidates, but a gardener must be diligent about keeping foliage in check around them during the growing season. Dense perennials can suffocate dwarf evergreens, causing new growth to be stunted and the bottoms to grow thin. Neither of those flaws is likely to be noticed in summer, but the plants will be less winter-worthy.
Favorite evergreens for winter structure include dwarf false cypress, boxwood, dwarf Alberta spruce, dwarf Serbian spruce and 'Montgomery' blue spruce. 'Spartan' juniper can serve as a sentinel if the border is large or deep enough.
Deciduous plants can fill the role as well, especially if they possess a distinctive winter silhouette or outstanding winter color. Red- and yellow-stemmed dogwoods glow against the dull sheath of winter, while the bright green twigs of Japanese kerria are supplemented by pretty white buds. Shrubby bushclover (Lespedeza thungergii ) and Scotch broom (Cytissus scoparius) are fine-textured plants with bright green twigs all winter.
For my own garden I've chosen February daphne (Daphne mezereum) to anchor one end of the border. Though the plant is finicky, I'm willing to put up with it for its winter presence: a stiff, upright habit and fat brown buds. Of course, the delicious fragrance of the pink flowers in March--only once did mine bloom in February--with winter at its nadir, is another reason to forgive daphne's shortcomings.
A well-pruned PeeGee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora') is well suited to a formal or highly structured border. Its stature reaches that of a small deciduous tree, and the huge dried flowers hang on in winter, capturing the snow in delightful clouds.
Ornamental grasses are architectural plants, and there's a size to fit every border: fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) for small gardens; blue-gray switch grass (Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal') for those with more ground, and variegated maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis gracillimus 'Morning Light') for gardeners with serious space to fill.
Ornamental grasses tend to fall apart by late winter, strewing their foliage from one end of the garden to the other, and often onto the neighbor's property as well. Cut them down before that, during a January or February thaw, to avoid chasing the straw around the yard.
Large borders often benefit from an occasional clump of coarse foliage. When the leaves are gone, the heavy twigs and stems of those same plants help to punctuate the winter border.
Two of the most dramatic hardy deciduous specimens for the job include 'Velvet Cloak' smokebush (Cotinus coggygria 'Velvet Cloak') and Catalpa x erubescens 'Purpurea'. With their dark purple leaves, both specimens make a bold statement in the summer border. In winter, the stout stems and prominent buds anchor the border through snow and ice.
Be forewarned: Catalpa and smokebush are not your typical perennials. In real life they're sizeable trees, artificially dwarfed by a process called "stooling." Each spring, all of the stems are cut to within a few inches of the ground. Plants respond by sending up tall vigorous shoots from the base, or "stool." Foliage color--in this case dark burgundy--is intensified on the new growth.
Site shrubs and evergreens carefully to make the most of their winter presence. In a formal bed, place them at the ends of the border, directly in the center or at regular intervals.
Informal beds call for balance, without symmetry. Weighty plants usually look best towards the end of a border, or near its deepest point, but not exactly at the perimeter or precisely opposite each other.
Finally, decorate the winter perennial garden thoughtfully. Classic ornaments, such as garden spheres, stone urns and sturdy outdoor sculptures, possess a timeless quality. Seasonal doodads look a little silly in the snow. If you're not sure, let the plants carry the border through winter.
(Lindsay Bond Totten, a horticulturist, writes about gardening for Scripps Howard News Service.)
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