Part V: Favorite Winter Plants (Western Washington)

Pieris japonica 'Flaming Silver'

Winters in Western Washington are wet ... pure and simple. The final stop of this multi-part series on Favorite Winter Plants may not be as cold as the other regions, but this lovely area definitely has its challenges, reports personal garden coach Christina Salwitz (aka @Arcadia1 on Twitter).

First, consider the area (USDA Hardiness Zone 7B). The Puget Sound region sits squarely between two mountain ranges, the salt water centering it and approximately 857,492 lakes, large and small, streams, creeks and rivers. The result? Moderate temperatures, and lots of moisture.

"A true northwest gardener mildews from all angles for about six months a year," says Christina with a laugh. "Rarely do we have snow for more than a few days here. Instead, we have seemingly unending, gray and drizzly days of soggy, muddy, misty, damp and cold weather. You have to want to be out weeding, transplanting or cleaning up here."

If you take the plunge, however, you can grow lovely winter plants like Pieris japonica 'Flaming Silver' (shown at the top). "This variegated shrub looks elegant and showy without even a bloom on it," she says.

Another favorite is Helleborus 'Ivory Prince' (shown above), which blooms heavily in winter on lovely, evergreen foliage. That's important in this sometimes dreary climate.

"Our plant choices must be made lovingly, and with much regard for the mental aspects of the garden," Christina explains. "We need to be able to look out our windows into the gloominess of winter and see color."

Another great plant for winter color - especially in December - is Mahonia x media 'Charity,' according to this gardening expert.

This stunning plant (shown in above two photos) is "a hummingbird extravaganza of sweet yellow flowers in December, on tough, blue-green holly-like foliage," adds Christina.

Foliage is another great source of winter color. As Christina reports, "Winter heathers have many feisty foliage colors, from yellows to oranges to hot pinks."

From hot pink heathers to variegated shrubs to sweetly blooming flowers, there are many plants that can lift the spirits and brighten the gardens during the wet winters of Washington. And maybe even your garden too...

Learn more: on Christina's blog Personal Garden Coach; or on Twitter @Arcadia1

Did we forget any of your favorite winter plants in this series? If so, what are they? We'd love to hear...

Part IV: Favorite Winter Plants (North Carolina)

There may be a snow storm or two, but Raleigh, N.C. (Zone 7B) enjoys more moderate winters than the first three locations featured in this Favorite Winter Plants series. In fact, you can pretty much garden all winter long, reports garden writer and coach Helen Yoest. And she should know. Helen not only owns Gardening With Confidence, she also serves on the board of advisors for JC Raulston Arboretum.

"I planted Helen's Haven with winter interest in mind," she says about her own garden and wildlife habitat. "During the coldest, darkest days, when I need it the most, I have plants bringing me scent, color, form and texture."

One example is coral bark maple (Acer palmatum  'Sango-kaku'), shown above. The tree offers fabulous fall color as well as orangey new leaves that turn green in summer. But Helen grows the tree for its winter beauty. "In winter, the bark color is more pronounced, especially on the new branches," she reports. "The coral color will dazzle you."

Not far from the maple is winter daphne (Daphne), shown above. "A winter daphne may up-and-die on you, but the scent in the middle of winter is worth the risk," admits Helen. "I have two at the front entrance. One for now and one for when one dies. The wildlife appreciate the pollen and evergreen cover as well."

Speaking of critters, they love to feast on the berries of deciduous holly (Ilex 'Winter Red). "For the wildlife, the color red says GO!," she says. "The deciduous nature of this shrub bodes well to show off the striking holly berries."

This holly does need a male holly plant as a pollinator, and 'Southern Gentlemen' works well, according to Helen, who adds with a laugh, "But of course, can't we all benefit from a southern gentleman?"

Another plant Helen can't live without is southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora).  "We have one on the south side of the house," she says. "It shades our home from the hot summer sun. And their May and June blooms look and smell heavenly. But for the winter, nothing beats the glossy evergreen cover this magnificent tree offers. There is a lot of chirping going on in that tree during the winter and all seasons."

As Helen successfully shows, there are many ways to use plants in the winter garden ... from feeding wildlife to adding visual interest to your landscape.

Learn more:

Gardening with Confidence

http://Twitter.com/helenyoest

Become a Facebook fan

Don't Go Away.  Our final stop is Western Washington, where the winters are wet and cold, but the planting options are hot hot hot.

Part III - Favorite Winter Plants (Canada)

For part 3 of "Favorite Winter Plants," we travel to Lake Ontario, Canada.  It takes a special plant to survive these rugged growing conditions, reports award-winning garden writer Doug Green (aka @DougGreen on Twitter). His garden is USDA Hardiness Zone 4 or 5, depending on the season and whether you're in one of the property's microclimates.

But as Doug explains," A winter plant here has to have the substance to survive our shallow, limestone soils, the high winds out here in Lake Ontario and the mind-numbing winter cold. This is not a garden for cosseted Southern belles but rather the hardy souls of our garden world."

Take apple trees, for instance. "My old orchard, unpruned for many years before we purchased the property, gives amazing contours and shapes when snow invariably flies," he says. "I love wandering around in the orchard and indeed right outside the back door, where the biggest and oldest specimen lives."

"Sumacs (Rhus) are notorious spreaders and have totally invaded what used to be a nice little patio garden down at the water's edge," Doug explains. "I'm reclaiming this area for a garden, by slowly whacking them back. But a soft snowfall reminds me why I plan on leaving just a few."

"There's no doubt that cedars (Thuja occidentalis) form the hardy backbone on our shallow cliff edge leading down to the water," he says. "They hold the bank in place, tenaciously winding the limestone shale subsoil into a firm mat, and I hate to lose even one of them. They too give us some measure of shape and substance to our winter view, and are not to be denied their place in our garden."

"Call it the last gasp of winter or the first warnings of spring," adds Doug. "But I'll never have a garden without hellebore. When this plant finally springs to bloom from its roots (it's not evergreen here), you know the frost is out of the ground and spring can't be far behind."

Learn more: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/ or on Twitter @DougGreen.

There's More! Our next stop is North Carolina. The winters are certainly milder there, but the winter garden excitement is just as hot. Don't miss part four of this series, coming soon.