Winter Gardening – Black Gold

Forever Jolly Winter Hollies

Sparkleberry winterberry forms a cloud of tiny red berries in December, and birds love them. (Image by Jessie Keith)

Berried holly branches are a ubiquitous holiday symbol, but these festive trees and shrubs come in more colors than just red and green, and many offer landscape interest beyond the winter season. My favorite winter hollies (Ilex spp.) are forever beautiful, whether berried at the end of the season or clothed in new spring foliage. Here are five that continuously shine in the garden, offering year-round splendor and high landscape utility.

There is only one essential bit of information to know when growing any holly. The shrubs are dioecious, meaning that each shrub is either male or female. Only the females produce colorful berries, while at least one male is needed to provide pollen to the females for a successful fruit set. So, plan to plant at least one complementary, pollenizing male for female berry producers, and make sure that the male is a compatible variety.

Beautiful Winter Hollies

Variegated English holly is one of the prettiest hollies for gardens.

**Variegated English Holly – Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’**

(USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-9; Height: 12-24 feet)

Crisp white edges keep the variegated foliage of this classic English holly tree looking lovely all season. In spring, the shrubs are beautifully complimented by landscape bulbs, such as bright tulips and alliums, and in summer colorful annuals provide an equally complementary color boost. In late summer and fall, green berries turn to red and remain beautiful well into winter. The tree to large shrub develops a conical habit over time. Plant in full sun and provide slightly acid, well-drained soil for best growth. The equally variegated ‘Gold Coast‘ is the perfect male pollenizer for this variety.

**Golden Japanese Holly – Ilex crenata ‘Drops of Gold’**

(USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-9; Height x Width: 5-7 feet x 10-12 feet)

Truly golden boxwood-like foliage is the hallmark of this favorite Japanese holly. The golden outer foliage looks great all season and is complemented by red-, orange- and purple-flowered ornamentals in spring, summer and fall. Black berries develop on the shrubs in fall, but these offer little visual interest. The more sun this holly is given, the more golden and full the foliage becomes. Don’t be deceived by its compact size at purchase; ‘Drops of Gold’ grows to be quite large and broad over time.

**Japanese Holly – Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’**

(USDA Hardiness Zone: 6-9; Height x Width: 4-10 feet x 1-3 feet)

Few shrubs reach up to the sky as well as the uniformly upright ‘Sky Pencil’. The popular evergreen shrub is revered for its architecturally clean verticality, and it looks super all year long. The all-male variety bears no fruit, but its fine, glossy, rich green foliage never stops looking good as long as plants are provided full sun and slightly acid soil with average to good drainage. This is a shrub that does not appreciate high wind, so plant it in a somewhat protected location.

**Variegated Winterberry – Ilex verticillata ‘Sunsplash’**

(USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-8; Height x Width: 4-7 feet x 3-5 feet)

The unique winterberry ‘Sunsplash’ bears lots of red berries on deciduous stems in fall and winter, but it also has the added bonus of gold and green variegated foliage that looks especially pretty in spring and early summer. The variegation is not uniform, but it has landscape appeal. This Broken Arrow Nursery introduction makes a unique addition to the landscape, and like all winterberries, it will grow well in the moister ground than most other hollies. Specimens planted in higher light will have the lightest variegation. If you are not keen on variegation, try the compact ‘Sparkleberry‘, which produces many small, bright red berries. Plant them with the male counterpart, ‘Apollo‘.

**Dwarf Yaupon Holly – Ilex vomitoria ‘Stokes Dwarf’**

(USDA Hardiness Zone: 1-11; Height x Width: 2- 3 feet x 4 feet)

This little bitty evergreen holly looks so pretty in small garden spaces. The shearable, slow-growing shrub develops a low, mounding habit and boasts deep green foliage that never stops looking nice. Like all yaupon hollies, ‘Stokes Dwarf’ is fairly tender and best planted where winters are relatively mild. Plant this one as you would any dwarf boxwood. Sharply drained soil and full sun are necessary for good growth and appearance.

Caring for hollies is not rocket science. Full to partial sun keep their foliage full and growth uniform and attractive. Sufficiently drained soils that are slightly acid are best. Amendment and mulching with Black Gold Garden Compost Blend in mid- to late-fall is recommended as is light fertilization with an all-purpose fertilizer in spring. Please click here for planting details by plant expert, Russell Stafford.

Whether large, small, bushy, or tall, every one of these holly shrubs is glorious in the landscape and garden. So this year make all seasons holly seasons. Plan to plant one of these forever jolly hollies in your spring garden.

Hellebores for Late Winter Color

It has been unseasonably cold here in the Pacific Northwest. In Portland, Oregon, we have had temperatures down in the teens, which is not the norm. To make matters worse, we had an extended period when the temperature did not get above freezing. The ground is very dry, which causes additional stress on plants when the ground is frozen. Walking out into my garden this morning, I must say it is looking very bleak. The Eugene area has had some snow, which is a good insulator that offers cold protection for plants, but the Portland area has not had any significant snow. Our ground is bare and dry. Nonetheless, the hellebores are beginning to show themselves.

However, we have many benefits to be living and gardening here, and one is the hellebore (Helleborus spp.), which is a true winter gem. Most are hybrids of the winter-blooming Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger) and later, midwinter- to early spring-blooming Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis). All can withstand the cold, wind and rain and not only survive, but thrive. It is also one plant that I have heard deer will not eat. Hellebores were very popular in the Midwest in the early 1900s, and then their popularity diminished. In the early part of this century, they made a resurgence and have become increasingly popular in Pacific Northwest gardens. Plants are being bred to have stronger stems and an ever-increasing palette of color.

The Best Hellebores

Hellebore 'Double Painted' — The glorious hellebore ‘Painted Double’ is one of many outstanding selections in the Winter Jewel™ Series.

Hellebores should be on every gardener’s must-have perennial list. Their most outstanding attribute is that they bloom in winter when most other perennials are sleeping the deep sleep, but their evergreen foliage is also a nice, year-round bonus. When planted in masses, they even make a nice groundcover. Even novice gardeners will find these shade-lovers easy to grow. They’re even deer-resistant.

As I write this column in early December, there are flower buds beginning to show their color on some of my plants. I have seen hellebores even blooming in the snow in January. A particular variety that has been outstanding in my garden, called ‘Jacob Classic’, is from the Gold Collection®. This is an early bloomer with white flowers that tend to face forward instead of downward, as many Hellebores do. It will begin flowering in January and continue for at least two months. It makes an excellent container plant, especially by an entryway, as the early blossoms provide winter cheer.

Another group of hellebores is the Winter Jewel™ Strain. The flowers in this series provide some apricot, yellow, white, and rose-red bloom colors that are relatively new for hellebores. I have two of these that have performed will in my garden and provide some striking winter color. These are ‘Painted Double’ and ‘Golden Sunrise’. As the name implies, ‘Painted Double’ has double flowers of white with rose-red speckles that look painted. The cheerful ‘Golden Sunrise’ has ruby-edged single flowers that turn slightly downward to reveal the soft yellow backside of the petals.

Growing Hellebores

Hellebore 'GoldenSunrise' — Ruby edges bring radiant color to the nodding, primrose-yellow flowers of hellebore ‘Golden Sunrise’.

Hellebores like to be planted in soil that is rich in compost, such as Black Gold® Garden Compost Blend. They also perform better when given some shade from the hot afternoon sun. Hellebores make excellent plants for under a large tree where they can benefit from the filtered light that falls from between the branches. Once established, they can become a permanent part of the garden and require very little maintenance.

Hellebores aside, many Pacific Northwest gardeners successfully grow plants that are considered marginally winter hardy. With our past relatively mild winters, many have survived with minimal protection. This winter is sure to prove which plants are marginally winter-hardy and which are not. In my garden, I have a Gunnera tinctoria that I consider marginally winter hardy. Luckily, several weeks ago, I mounded the crown with Black Gold Garden Compost Blend, and then on top of that I placed the huge Gunnera leaves that I had removed from the plant. The Gunnera leaves will help keep the conditioner from blowing away in the wind. Hopefully, this method will provide the insulation the plant needs to survive. I have done this in winter’s past, and it has worked.

Hellebore 'Jacob' — Clear white flowers with bright yellow stamens grace hellebore ‘Jacob Classic’ in winter.

With the weather as cold as it’s been, there is not much a gardener can do to protect plants without a protective greenhouse or sunroom, though I always have a few tender plants that I put on a garden cart and take into my unheated garage. (My prediction for this spring is that garden centers will see a surge in sales when spring finally arrives with gardeners buying plants to replace those that couldn’t take the cold.) In the meantime, get into the spirit of this season with a visit to your garden center, and check out the holiday displays, which are certain to include a few choice hellebores.

Beautyberry for Bountiful Fall Color

Branches laden with bright purple berry clusters can be a very pleasant surprise to those unaware of the virtues of beautyberry (Callicarpa spp.). These berries provide a bright spot of color, especially in the autumn garden when the color performance of many shrubs is over.

Beautyberry Origins

There are more than a dozen species of Callicarpa, however only a few are readily available to at plant nurseries. Most often referred to as beautyberry, most species are native to China and other parts of Asia, but Callicarpa americana is a native of the southern and eastern United States. All grow and flower best in full to partial sun and prefer soil with average fertility and good drainage.

Beautyberry Varieties

The leaves of Bodinier’s beautyberry develop a burnished or yellow color before falling in autumn.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, the most widely planted variety is the Chinese Bodinier’s beautyberry (Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’, USDA Hardiness Zone 6-8). This is recommended because it is a heavy bearer of bright purple berries. In the spring the new leaves are tinged with bronze as they first appear, and the branches become lined with clusters of tiny lavender flowers. In my garden, it tends to be a bit of a gangly grower, reaching up to 7 feet tall and almost as wide. Select pruning of the tallest, most overgrown branches will keep it in check.

I also have a white Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica ‘Leucocarpa’, USDA Hardiness Zone 5-8), which has white flowers and berries and is a slightly smaller shrub (4-6 feet) than Bodinier’s beautyberry. In the autumn, as the foliage of ‘Leucocarpa’ begins to turn yellow and brown, the clusters of white berries create quite a color contrast.

The spring flowers of beautyberry are pale lavender to pink.

There are new varieties Callicarpa that have been developed to offer colorful foliage and a compact growth habit. Variegated Japanese beautyberry (C. japonica ‘Snow Storm’, USDA Hardiness Zone 6-8), is a good example with leaves that are white at the beginning of the season and then becoming mottled with green as they develop. Unlike the gangly ‘Profusion’, ‘Snow Storm’ is a tidy, mounding shrub to 3 to 4 feet that is desirable for small gardens or containers. It has pink flowers and purple berries.

The American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana, USDA Hardiness Zone 6-10) is a larger shrub (6-9 feet) with a more informal, long, arching, open branches and of looser bright purple berry clusters. Plant it in more informal landscape settings.

Beautyberry Lore

The leaves of American beautyberry naturally repel mosquitoes.

Sometimes I marvel at what we do for our plants and what our plants do for us. I find it fascinating to read folklore about plant attributes and then test the folklore in real life. The American Beautyberry poses a good example of how lore can help today’s gardeners.

In the early part of the 20th century, farmers in northeastern Mississippi discovered that placing fresh crushed leaves of Callicarpa americana under the harness of draft animals, like horses and mules, helped keep biting insects away. This practice became known throughout the region, and people began crushing leaves on their own skin to keep mosquitoes away. People stopped using American Beautyberry with the dawn of insect sprays, so this practice was almost forgotten until recently. Recent research found Mosquito Bite Deterrent chemicals were present in the leaves of these plants. In fact, they showed significant repellent activity against mosquitoes. Maybe this could be called ‘folklore becomes reality’.

Two years ago I conducted my own experiment with a neighbor that is interested in botanicals for medicinal purposes. We both rubbed leaves of my Bodinier’s beautyberry on our arms to see if they would repel mosquitoes. Sorry to report that the mosquitoes landed on both of us, because I had not realized that the mosquito repelling properties were from C. americana and not my variety!

Visit your local garden center this fall season and check out their selection of berried Callicarpa. By making your purchase now, you are assured of getting the berry color that you want! With the long and hot dry summer we have had, be sure to amend the soil with Black Gold Garden Compost Blend before planting, and water thoroughly.

Fire up the Landscape with Red Twig Dogwood

The bloodtwig dogwood ‘Midwinter Fire’ has some of the most brilliant branches for winter.

Fiery branches of gold, orange, and red rise from the winter garden, bringing color to the bleakest landscapes. There’s no better complement to evergreen and berried landscape shrubs than brilliant red twig dogwoods (Cornus sericea) and blood twig dogwoods (Cornus sanguinea). Their branches also look attractive in seasonal arrangements.

About Redosier Dogwoods

Native to much of North America, redosier dogwood is a remarkably hardy, densely branched shrub (6-12’), growing as far north as Alaska where it survives in USDA Hardiness Zones 2-9. It naturally grows in moist areas or watersides and can even withstand slightly salty soils. It may exist under the shaded canopy of trees or in open sunny areas. In spring, it produces flat-topped clusters of white flowers. These are followed by whitish, berry-like fruits that appear later in the season. The bright green leaves turn shades of wine red or maroon in fall. The younger twigs of wild plants naturally turn shades of red in winter.

The bloodtwig dogwood is just as pretty, but it is Eurasian, inhabiting forested regions and wetland margins from northern Europe to western Asia. It performs in the landscape much like redosier dogwood, but its late-season fruits are black rather than white.

Redosier Dogwoods and Wildlife

Spring azure butterfly caterpillars feed on redosier dogwood foliage. (Photo by D. Gordon E. Robertson)

The redosier dogwood has a unique relationship with certain pollinators. The flowers are visited by bees and butterflies, but the foliage is also the larval host of the spring azure butterfly, a beautiful blue butterfly found across much of North America. The bloodtwig dogwood also serves as the larval host plant to the less desirable casebearer moth. Many birds feed on the fruits and rely on the dense branching of these shrubs for nesting and shelter.

Varieties

The yellow twigged *Cornus sericea* ‘Flaviramea’ has pretty golden twigs in fall.

For brilliant twig color, few redosier dogwoods can beat the classic variety ‘Baileyi’. Its brilliant red branches glow in winter, and the dense shrubs reach up to 9’. A comparable cultivar is ‘Cardinal’, which offers good diseases resistance in addition to red twig color. The more compact redosier dogwood, Arctic Fire®, is a shorter form (6’) that has equally bright red stems. The equally compact bloodtwig dogwood, Arctic Sun®, has golden twigs tipped with orange and coral red, as does the slightly taller ‘Midwinter Fire’. The dwarf redosier dogwood ‘Kelseyi’ (3’) is the smallest of the red twig forms.

Yellow-twig forms are also striking. The best of these is ‘Flaviramea’ (8’), which develops bright yellow to greenish yellow twigs in winter. The pretty ‘Silver and Gold’ is a variant of ‘Flaviramea’ with attractive variegated leaves edged in silver, in addition to yellow twigs. Another variety with handsome variegated foliage is ‘Hedgerows Gold’, which has golden-edged leaves that line deep red branches.

Planting

Cornus sericea Arctic Fire® (Proven Winners)

Twig color and growth is best when plants are planted in a sunny to partially sunny location. Choose a spot where the winter twigs will be most conspicuous—either an open area or against a darkly colored mass of evergreens or a substantial foundation. Mass plantings have the best winter effect and are great for stabilizing slopes or watersides.

Soil can be moist or well drained, but fertile soil with a pH of 5.0 to 7.5 is preferred. When planting a new shrub, dig a hole that is twice the size of the shrub’s root ball. Amend your backfill with Black Gold Garden Soil before planting, and set the shrub in the hole, making sure the root line and soil line are level. Fill in along the edges, and pack the soil down firmly to ensure good root-to-soil contact. Irrigate well after planting, and make sure newly planted shrubs stay well irrigated during the summer months.

Pruning and Maintenance

Cut old, overgrown branches to about 1-2’ from the ground.

The best twig color comes from younger branches, so it is important to regularly prune redosier dogwood in later winter to early spring. Cut old, overgrown branches to about 1-2’ from the ground to keep shrub height in check and encourage new growth. Pruning cuts should be made at a 45-degree angle. It is important to dip pruners in a 10% bleach solution when pruning each new shrub to avoid any chance of spreading common diseases.

Diseases

Close up of Septoria leaf spot. (USDA Forest Service)

Dogwood stem canker (Botryosphaeria dothidea) is the most notorious disease of these shrubs. It is a fungal disease that causes cankers and branch death. The disease enters the plant via cuts and lesions, which is why it is important to keep pruning tools clean when making cuts. Plants that become stressed are most susceptible to the disease.

This canker is manageable. Remove diseased stems by cutting several inches below the point of infection. Do this in dry weather and clean pruners between cuts. Remove and destroy diseased branches. Irrigating shrubs during dry spells will reduce stress and help ward off the disease. Choosing canker-resistant varieties, such as ‘Cardinal’ is also useful.

Septoria leaf spot is another common disease that causes unsightly black spots and early leaf shed on the summer leaves of red osier dogwood. The lower leaves are the first to show spots. Several cultural steps can help to control Septoria leaf spot. First, thin overly dense branches to encourage airflow and reduce the chance of infection. The disease overwinters on infected leaf tissue, so remove all fallen leaves underneath the plant.

Redosier dogwood is a true landscape gem. Keep it well maintained, and it will reward you with bright warm color on cold winter days.

Growing California Christmasberry

Large sprays of bright red berry-like fruits mature in time for holiday decorating.

In my old High Sierra home, I decorated with my own native Christmasberry (Heteromeles arbutifolia, USDA Zone 8) fruit every winter for nearly 20 years. Also called California toyon, this shrub produces large sprays of bright red fruits that are so seasonally welcome, I wondered why it was not more popular in landscaping.

Christmasberry makes a fine alternative to Asian Frasier’s photinia (Photinia fraseri), non-native hollies (Ilex spp.), and other exotic evergreens. Deep, emerald-green foliage makes the red fruits really stand out in the winter garden while providing bird habitat all year long. In the High Sierras, the wild evergreens remained unchanged from the end of late-spring rains to December, when the rains returned. That’s a minimum of seven months with no supplemental water!

Potted Christmasberry

Like so many California native shrubs, Christmasberry is difficult to grow commercially in pots because of its deep, wide-spreading root system — the key to its amazing drought resistance. Natives with large root systems rapidly outgrow nursery pots by the end of the first year, when grown from seed. If not transplanted into a deeper pot, the roots will hit the pot bottom and grow sideways.

Distorted tap and feeder roots will keep a growing shrub from achieving proper root depth once planted in the ground. This is why Christmasberry, and comparable native trees and shrubs, are uncommon in garden centers. So many have disproportionate top-to-root growth. A tiny seedling may have a three-foot-deep root system that refuses to adapt to container culture. This was such a problem with California native oaks, that growers finally gave up on trying to pot them and planted acorns instead.

Purchase the smallest, youngest potted plants, if you can find Heteromeles arbutifolia for sale locally. A big plant in a small pot won’t adapt well to drought.

Growing Christmasberry from Seed

Sowing Christmasberry plants from gathered seed is an even better option. Home-grown shrubs can quickly be planted outdoors, allowing the tiny seedlings to freely root into the soil and adapt to local rainfall limitations.

First gather mature, red fruits and clean each one to release the two seeds inside. In my High Sierra home, robins came each year to feed on the fruits, excreting clean, ready-to-germinate seed on my land. To simulate this same scenario at home, separate the seed cleanly from the fruit and allow the seed to dry. This seed will remain viable for only about 8 months.

Sow the dry seed in winter to get them started, just like wild seed with the spring rains. Choose a light, natural garden soil, such as Black Gold Seedling Mix. Start by filling a plastic lidded salad or fruit box with the fresh mix, and set the seed into the moist media, but don’t cover it. Keep the seeds lightly moist and at room temperature, and they should sprout in about a week. Transplant newly sprouted seedlings into deep pots of Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix. Place them under bright light until they reach 1-inch in height, usually within six weeks. Transplant into the landscape once the soil can be worked to ensure healthy root growth and easy planting. Spring planted seedlings should be deeply watered once or twice, then let them grow on rainfall unless conditions are unseasonably arid.

Planting Christmasberry

In the wild, Christmasberry typically grows on rocky slopes with dry, well-drained soils that are sometimes a bit saline. Keep this in mind when selecting a location to plant or sow your shrubs. As long as the roots are free to grow deeply, they will out-perform thirsty hollies and other exotic holiday berries without asking for much, if any, supplemental water.

Mature shrubs are bushy, somewhat shade tolerant, and typically reach 6-10 feet or more. In early summer clusters of white flowers are produced. These are transformed into red, berry-like fruits that persist into winter. Established plants can live up to 200 years.

This relatively young hedge shows how fast Christmasberry produces a drought-resistant screen with high wildlife value.

Other natural, shrubby companions found with Christmasberry are California lilac (Ceanothus spp.), manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), and fremontia (Fremontodendron spp.), all of which grew on or near my old property. This is the essential palette of native California shrubs or small trees that promise beauty in drought.

There is no better recommendation for a species to withstand the perpetual “shake, bake, and irrigate” of the West Coast. Christmasberry survives fire and holds slopes against mudslides, according to Lester Rowntree in her classic 1947 book, Flowering Shrubs of California. Lester wrote: “I have seen acres of toyon [Christmasberry], in solid formation, come back after fire from the roots of old bushes, ringing the bases of burned 18-foot stems, standing black and dead, with the bright rich green of new growth.”

Windowsill Salad Greens for Indoor Growing

Cut-and-come-again lettuce is the perfect cool-season crop for fall and winter gardens.

Windowsill greens, such as small lettuces and micro-greens, are fast-growing and gratifying. Growing them indoors is a piece of cake, as long as you have good sunlight, quality soil, the right watering regime, and some gardening know-how. Start with the right greens, master some of the cultural basics, and you’ll be eating fresh salad through even the coldest winter months.

Growing Windowsill Greens

Planter troughs or window boxes can be purchased in a variety of sizes and are best for growing windowsill greens. Adequate pot and soil drainage is a must for success. Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix is a great mix choice. It provides superior moisture retention, excellent drainage, and is specially formulated with a controlled release fertilizer that feeds plants for up to six months. Just be sure to fill the pot to a depth that allows at least 2” of headspace at the top for watering and planting.

Planters should be placed in as sunny a location as possible. Supplemental light can be provided with the use of broad-spectrum grow lights, but natural light is best. When watering, provide just enough water to wet the soil—allowing the mix to dry slightly between. Once plants are actively growing, the need for water will increase. Just be sure to avoid wet soil, which can rot roots and encourage soil-borne pests and pathogens, such as shore flies and fungus gnats. (Click here to learn how to rid pots of fungus gnats.)

Lactuca sativa (SALANOVAR RED INCISED-LEAF SALANOVAR SERIES) JaKMPM — Salanova Red Incised Leaf grows well in pots and is pretty in salads.

Seeds can be directly sown on the soil’s surface or seedlings planted. The seeds of many greens require light to germinate, so surface-sow seed for best results. This means gently sowing the seeds along the soil’s surface and keeping them lightly moist. Once they have germinated, thin seedlings to around 2 to 3 inches apart. This is a little closer than outdoor-grown greens, but denser plantings yield more greens indoors.

Finally, be sure you choose the right crops for indoor growing. Here is a sampling of the types of salad greens you might consider:

Micro Lettuce

Mixed Salanova baby lettuces (55 days from seed) are a great, fast choice for indoor growers. They form dense, small heads that are sweet and crunchy. The mix offers a variety of purple- and green-leaved selections. Baby Leaf Mix is another great choice. Rather than heads, this mix offers cut-and-come-again looseleaf lettuces that produce edible greens in just 28-35 days from seed.

‘Red Russian’ is a lovely kale that can be harvested young and grown indoors. (Photo care of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Baby Kale

Looseleaf kales germinate fast, grow quickly, and can be clipped back regularly for home salads. There are several varieties to choose from—‘Red Russian’ and ‘Toscano’ being two of the best. Both are mild and produce edible leaves in just a few short weeks.

Baby Chard

Just about any chard can be grown inside. All are tender and can be harvested young. Most growers opt for colorful varieties because they are high in antioxidants and look pretty in salads. Bright Lights Mix and ‘Ruby Red’ are two festive chards that always taste great when young.

Mizuna

One of the fastest greens for growing is mizuna. Popular in Japanese cooking, its tasty leaves have a mild, spicy flavor and look feathery and pretty in salads. Purple mizuna is a popular choice that will begin to produce edible leaves in just 21 days.

Mustard Greens

The easy-to-grow micro mustard green ‘Green Wave’ is so easy and delicious that you will wonder why you didn’t start growing your own greens sooner. It produces harvestable microgreens just two weeks after germination. Grow plants a little longer to harvest larger leaves.

These are just a few of many salad greens for indoor growing. Gardeners new to indoor growing may want to try one or two greens, like lettuce and kale, before experimenting with other types. One good success will get you hooked.

Windowsill Salad Greens for Indoor Growing

Growing Windowsill Greens

Finally, be sure you choose the right crops for indoor growing. Here is a sampling of the types of salad greens you might consider:

Micro Lettuce

Baby Kale

Baby Chard

Mizuna

Mustard Greens

Windowsill Salad Greens for Indoor Growing

Growing Windowsill Greens

Finally, be sure you choose the right crops for indoor growing. Here is a sampling of the types of salad greens you might consider:

Micro Lettuce

Baby Kale

Baby Chard

Mizuna

Mustard Greens

Plants For the Winter Garden

The fragrant flowers of wintersweet can withstand even the harsh winter weather.

In the Pacific Northwest, the garden in winter can be a bit bleak. I know mine certainly is. However, the more I talk to other gardeners and visit other gardens at this time of year, the more color I see. Often the color is not from flowers, but from bark, foliage and stems.

For the last few years, I am been striving to add more plants in my garden that will provide some winter color. I have learned that it is best to plant them in a location where we can see them from our windows. Planting them in the back garden is a waste since we are not often there in winter to see them.

Sarcococca - Copy — Sweetbox is an appealing evergreen with very fragrant winter flowers.

In addition to looking for winter color, this is also a good time of year to walk through the garden and see if there are ‘pockets’ around plants where the water has settled and is not draining. In these areas, I like to add Black Gold Soil Natural and Organic Soil Builder to increase aeration and drainage and add needed organic matter for the coming year. A phrase that I often hear is “more plants die from winter wet than winter cold.” This is certainly the case for many garden plants, such as salvias.

Evergreens

For winter color, a new plant (to me) that can provide golden chartreuse color to the garden is Thuja orientalis ‘Franky Boy’. We often think of Thuja as being large plants, but this one just grows 4-6 inches per year and will only reach about 3 feet in ten years, so it can be used in a garden border. It has thread-like foliage and an upright ball shape. For the opposite color extreme, a silver evergreen conifer is Abies koreana ‘Silberlocke’. This outstanding, slow-growing plant has curved green needles that show silvery-white undersides. I have had one in a pot for several years, and it looks great at any time of the year.

Abies 'Silberlocke' — Abies ‘Silberlocke’ is a lovely winter evergreen with silvery needles.

Sweet Box

I should not overlook some of the shrubs that are already in bloom in the January garden. Sweet box (Sarcococca ruscifolia) is one. It is a very easy-to-grow small evergreen shrub that produces a small, sweetly fragrant, creamy white flower in winter that perfume the area around it. I’ve often had visitors walk past my plants and all of a sudden will detect the fragrance and not know where it is coming from. Sweet Box likes some shade from the hot afternoon summer sun and likes organic-rich soil, so be sure to add Black Gold Garden Compost at planting time.

Wintersweet

Recent snow and ice provided opportunities for gardeners to take some unique photos. Oregon State Community Horticulturist, Neil Bell, sent me this photo of his wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) with its flowers encased in ice. He reported that the ice did not seem to bother them, and once it had melted, the flowers went back to scenting the garden. Wintersweet can grow to 10-12 feet and produces winter flowers on leafless branches. If space considerations are an issue, it can easily be pruned to a smaller stature.

Thuja orientalis Franky Boy — The golden-green Thuja orientalis ‘Franky Boy’ is a new dwarf conifer for my garden.

So, while at first glance we might think the winter garden is bleak, it does not have to be. Check out your local garden centers now for plants showing bloom and/or color. I am noticing that many local garden centers are grouping slow-growing conifers together to show the array of colors available. Gardening in the Pacific Northwest is a year-round adventure!

Winter Garden Plants for Wildlife

Mockingbirds eat beauty berries as well as many other fruits of winter.

The winter garden is not dead and desolate. Fruits of summer and fall still linger on stems, providing vital food to wildlife in the depths of winter. More often than not, these plants also offer seasonal interest, making them win-win additions to our landscapes.

Winter Seeds for Wildlife

It’s all about seeds and berries when it comes to forage for winter birds. For many woodland mammals—such as mice, voles, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and deer—nuts, berries, and roots are essential food sources. Some of these animals may not be the most welcome creatures in your garden, but the more you feed them along the periphery of your landscape, the less likely they are to forage in more intimate garden spaces near the home. Smaller herbivores also feed important winter predators, such as foxes, hawks, and owls, to keep home ecosystems healthy.

Asters and goldenrods are great garden plants for songbirds.

Daisies

The most valued seeds for birds (see the table of common North American birds and their preferred forage plants below) come from flowers in the daisy family (Asteraceae), such as seeds from thistles and annual sunflowers (learn how to grow annual sunflowers here!), which are sold by the bag as winter bird seed. (Sunflowers always make a great garden addition, but thistle is a garden weed to avoid.) But, many other daisy-family members offer exquisite garden flowers as well as nutritious seeds for birds.

Popular fall-blooming daisies include asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), goldenrod (Solidago spp.) and perennial sunflowers (Helianthus spp.). These provide superior food for seed-eating birds. Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) and black-eyed-Susans (Rudbeckia spp.) are two more summer and fall flowers in the daisy family that will keep birds coming to your garden if you allow the seed heads to dry and remain undisturbed until late winter when their wildlife value is past.

Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Sky' JaKMPM — The winter seeds of switchgrass feed many wild animals.

Grasses

The seeds of some garden grasses are also popular with birds. Highly ornamental annual millet (Pennisetum glaucum) comes in shades of purple, burnished bronze, and gold and its upright seed heads are highly sought after by birds. ‘Jade Princess’ is a particularly garden-worthy form with vibrant green blades and burnished brown heads.

Many attractive perennial grasses are good food for wildlife. A grass for partially shaded locations is northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium). Its beautiful seed heads tend to shatter by early winter, but they are an important food for birds and rodents.

Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a very desirable small prairie grass with persistent seed heads that last into midwinter. The upright ‘Standing Ovation’, introduced by North Creek Nurseries of Landenberg, PA, has a strong upright habit and purplish-bronze winter color in addition to wildlife value.

The tall, breezy switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is one of the most popular of all large, bunching ornamental grasses. Its fine seed heads offer winter interest and feed animals. Seek out the tall, blue-green ‘Northwind’ and ‘Dewey Blue’ for their strong, upright habits and good seed set.

Winter Fruits for Wildlife

050 — Winterberries are beautiful winter garden shrubs, and many birds eat their bright berries.

Crabapples, berries, hips and other colorful fruits of winter are also favored by winter animals of all kinds, particularly birds. They are also some of the easiest plants to grow in the winter landscape. Just be sure you have plenty of room and lots of light—many of these plants are sun-loving and relatively large.

Berries

The ‘Winter King’ hawthorn (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’) is a small fruiting tree with bright red pomes that remain beautiful into midwinter and are eaten by many winter birds, such as cedar waxwings. Crabapples also fall into this category. The red-fruited ‘Prairifire’ and Red Jewel™ and golden-fruited ‘Lancelot’, offer exceptional disease resistance as well as loads of beautiful winter fruits for wildlife.

Pyracantha 'Soleil d'Or' JaKMPM — The colorful pomes of the firethorn are a favorite of many winter birds.

Winterberries (Ilex verticillata), beautyberries (Callicarpa spp.), firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) and cranberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster apiculatus), are three highly landscape-worthy shrubs with beautiful berries for the birds. All have cultivated variants that can be found in most garden centers. Their persistent winter fruits are also gorgeous—adding lots of bright color to the yard and garden when little can be found.

Nuts

Nuts of all forms are eaten mostly by larger wildlife. Oaks (Quercus spp.), walnuts (Juglans spp.), and beechnuts (Fagus spp.) all offer exceptional value to wildlife. Nut-producing shrubs, such as the American hazelnut (Corylus americana) are also fair game for the margins of any large garden or landscape and produce edible nuts that are just as tasty to homeowners as they are to squirrels and deer.

It is likely that many already have many of these plants in their yards, but it never hurts to add a few more to further beautify outdoor spaces while also making them more palatable to the birds and other animals. Dwindling habitat and food sources make our yards and gardens that much more important for providing much-needed winter forage for our animal friends.

Table: Common North American winter birds and their favorite foods from yard and garden

Bird	Millet	Sunflower Seed	Fruits	Thistle Seed
American Goldfinch	X	X	X	X
Blue Jay		X	X
Cardinal	X	X	X
Carolina Wren			X
Cedar Waxwing			X
Chickadee		X	X
Mourning Dove	X	X	X
Mockingbird			X
Nuthatch		X	X
Tufted Titmouse		X	X

Data gathered from www.allaboutbirds.org

Articles

Beautiful Winter Hollies

Variegated English Holly – Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’

Golden Japanese Holly – Ilex crenata ‘Drops of Gold’

Japanese Holly – Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’

Variegated Winterberry – Ilex verticillata ‘Sunsplash’

Dwarf Yaupon Holly – Ilex vomitoria ‘Stokes Dwarf’

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Growing Hellebores

Beautyberry Origins

Beautyberry Varieties

Beautyberry Lore

About Redosier Dogwoods

Redosier Dogwoods and Wildlife

Varieties

Planting

Pruning and Maintenance

Diseases

Potted Christmasberry

Growing Christmasberry from Seed

Planting Christmasberry

Growing Windowsill Greens

Micro Lettuce

Baby Kale

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Mizuna

Mustard Greens

Growing Windowsill Greens

Micro Lettuce

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Baby Chard

Mizuna

Mustard Greens

Growing Windowsill Greens

Micro Lettuce

Baby Kale

Baby Chard

Mizuna

Mustard Greens

Evergreens

Sweet Box

Wintersweet

Winter Seeds for Wildlife

Daisies

Grasses

Winter Fruits for Wildlife

Berries

Nuts

**Variegated English Holly – Ilex aquifolium ‘Argentea Marginata’**

**Golden Japanese Holly – Ilex crenata ‘Drops of Gold’**

**Japanese Holly – Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’**

**Variegated Winterberry – Ilex verticillata ‘Sunsplash’**

**Dwarf Yaupon Holly – Ilex vomitoria ‘Stokes Dwarf’**