For impact, a few winter trees and shrubs are the equivalent of a double border in summer. Winter gardens require more imagination than effort. A glowing group of stems, slowly stripped of leaves, followed by snowdrops: that's a third of the gardening year taken care of. We go to Cambridge in England to learn from The Winter Garden at Anglesey Abbey.
Photographs by Kendra Wilson. Photography shot with the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 digital SLR camera. Small in size, enormous in performance.
Above: A trio of Mahonia, Cornu,s and Acer palmatum glow against a dark backdrop of yew.
Above: Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Orange' against the "ghost bramble" Rubus cockburnianus. In the UK, Bluebell Nursery has Cornus sanguinea 'Anny's Winter Orange' for £15 per 3-liter pot.
Above: Choose a rose with excellent spikes and pretty yellowing leaves which do the whole genus credit, like this 'Mount Emei' rose. An easier-to-find variety, with more pronounced, red "winged" thorns is Rosa pteracantha, available in the UK from Burncoose Nurseries: £10.50 per 3-liter pot. Rosa pteracantha is available seasonally in the US at Annie's Annuals; $19.95 for a 1-gallon pot.
Above: Banks of Cornus, a winter monoculture which can be as effective as a trio of different species.
Above: The amazing box elder (Acer negundo), with warm-hued willow (Salix alba) nearby. Almost everything is pollarded in this garden including these trees, as the young growth reacts to cold. The more frost, the more a winter garden glows. Acer negundo 'Kelly's Gold' is available in the UK for £55.74, from Weasdale Nursery.
Above: Not convinced about Mahonia? The flowers are scented for one, and on closer inspection the flowers are rather lovely. They are a good yellow for dismal days. Mahonia x media 'Lionel Fortescue' is available from Burncoose, as above: £14 per 3-liter pot. In the US, the similar Soft Caress Mahonia is available at Michigan Bulb Company for $16.95.
Above: Eye level berries are one of the best things about autumn and winter, usually shining out from dark hedgerows. Cotoneaster lacteus is dripping with berries and would dominate the holly were it not variegated. Variegated plants are a must in dark areas. For UK readers, Cotoneaster lacteus is £4.99 per 9-centimeter pot at Crocus. In the US, a packet of Cotoneaster lacteus seeds is available from Plant World Seeds; $3.59.
Above: This Tibetan cherry looks especially brilliant against a backdrop of yellow cornus. Its bark is stroked frequently by passersby, keeping it shiny and taut. Left untouched, the bark would curl up like wood shavings. A multi-stemmed Prunus serrula like this one gives you more bark to stroke and has a similar effect to a pollarded tree: you can see through it and around it. Prunus serrula is available in the UK from Bluebell Nursery as above, £28 per 5-liter pot. In the US, Prunus serrula is available for $15.95 from Forestfarm.
For more winter color see 5 Favorites: Add Color to the Winter Garden.