Winter Structure - structural shrubs

At this time of year, structural planting will come into its own, as the last leaves fall and the frost nips the perennials we are left with the ‘bones ‘of the garden.  Perhaps your garden already looks good in November and February, in which case you have done a jolly good job, and chances are you already have a good amount of winter interest.

Structural planting is the first thing that I address when beginning a new planting plan.  I would advise a percentage of somewhere between 30% to 50% of the planting should have winter interest.  However, all gardens are different and certain areas of the garden may require more structure than others.  When I say structural planting, I don’t necessarily mean only evergreen plants, as brightly coloured stems and an interesting frame of branches could be sufficient.  For coloured stems we often turn to Salix and Cornus, some of the most dramatically coloured varieties are Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ with stems of flaming orange and red; Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’ with yellow-green stems or Salix purpurea ‘Nancy Saunders’ with elegant maroon stems.

Try to position your winter interest where you will be able to see it clearly, especially from the house as we do tend to spend more time looking out into our garden during the darkest months.  Evergreens are going to really work hard during winter and will look wonderful on a frosty morning but if you get a heavy snowfall do remember to go out and shake the snow off with a long broom handle, because the weight of the snow could snap the branches.

For inspiration try Burncoose Nursery in Cornwall – www.burncoose.co.uk