SHARING OUR GARDENING EXPERTISE:

Winters are long in the UK, so as flowers are in short supply you need to preserve barks, berries, seedheads and evergreens. Evergreens are the greatest asset to a garden as they give colour, substance, depth and shadow and are a great counterbalance to a world of brown in those long, cold winter months.

Varieties of Evergreens

Evergreens come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Here are just some winter warmers you could try in your garden:

• Cryptomeria japonica is bronze-purple winter finery
• Trochodendron aralioides are an exotic, hardy, large-leaved shrub
• Helleborus argutifolius are an effective winter flower as the leaves sparkle when rimmed with frost.
• Blechnum chilense is a tropical, exotic looking fern
• Ilex aquifolium can make a striking topiary

Grouping Evergreens

Grouping evergreens together can be very visually effective – combining contrasting shapes, heights, colours and forms. The blue-green Euphorbia characias, glossy Helleborus argutifolius and strap-leaved Iris unguicularis make a rather handsome trio in a sunny, well drained spot, perhaps even backed by glaucous Acacia baileyana and the purple Pittosporum tenuifolium.

Evergreens in Shade

Evergreens can easily be grown in the shade of walls or trees. Ferns can also be used to provide a rich tapestry of evergreen ground cover for shady spots.

Overall, evergreens are a winter delight as they give a much-needed lift, especially the golds and yellows which act as a stand-in for shafts of sunlight breaking through the gloom.

 

If you are thinking of growing evergreens and would like some advice on which plants are the best stalwarts for winter then please contact us and we will happily help you.