This months showcase of plants consists of plants that will look sensational all year long, even in the colder winter months!
Although the ornamental Kale will poop out on you once the weather warms up, the Mugo Pine will withstand just about any climate you throw at it. This evergreen shrub is extremely drought and cold tolerant and will even take on a bit of neglect. The Mugo Pine will grow approximately 3′ tall and wide in it’s maturity, making it a spectacular background plant for annual plantings.
‘Black Dragon’ Cryptomeria is a great alternative to using upright Arborvitae and Hollies. ‘Black Dragon’ keeps a deep, lush green color throughout the year and maintains a rigid, upright spire like shape with no pruning required. The ‘Black Dragon’ will reach 15′ tall and about 4′ wide.
Even with the prettiest shrubs, no landscape is complete without some element of hardscape. Using a unique, perhaps obscure looking pot will draw the eyes to an area without detracting too much visual attention from the shrubs that surround them. Make sure when selecting a pot for use in a landscape bed that it has a proper drainage hole and is made of material safe for use outdoors.
We’re very used to using Boxwood in our gardens, but we’re also very used to seeing the same boring green, round shrubs all the time. it doesn’t have to be so, and here is a gleaming example of the diversity the Boxwood family has to offer. This particular boxwood ‘Auereovarigata’ has fantastic tones of orange, yellow and green on a round growing evergreen shrub. This shrub makes a fantastic accent to an otherwise green template.
Peeking out from behind the shrubs you’ll the the fantastically graceful ‘Adagio’ Grass. As beautiful as the name, this grass will stand full and erect throughout the winter months and be one of the last ornamental grasses to turn color when the weather gets chilly. This grass is easy to grow and makes a wonderful contrast to other more formal shrubs.
The ‘Firepower’ Nandina is one of those shrubs that you seem to see everywhere, but never done quite right. They’re a beautiful shrub when planted among other solid green shrubs. When planted along, they tend to look unkept, when planted with a bunch of wild colors, they look out of place. The proper place for a ‘Firepower’ Nandina is with shrubs that won’t compete for attention and at the same time, bring out the best of it.
This months showcase of plants consists of plants that will look sensational all year long, even in the colder winter months!
