Unlike beautifully fruited ones, evergreen trees and shrubs could well become a color accent in a leafless garden, but many winter-green deciduous plants are covered with lutrasil or snowdrifts for the winter. We have to be content with conifers. Their assortment is infinitely large, but the main thing here is not to forget about a sense of proportion: an excessive variety of plants that fall within the limits of one glance creates unnecessary diversity.
How to fix the situation:
It makes sense to color the picture with decorative deciduous barks. The derens alone are worth it! Do not discount uncovered evergreen deciduous plants (mahonia, pachysandra, periwinkle and others). Of course, they are of no use in winter, but when the snow has not yet fallen or has just melted, their emerald foliage will delight us. And it is better to place covering plants in the summer part of the garden, where no one cleans the paths in winter. It must be borne in mind that some of the evergreen plants, such as privet, often shed their leaves in the winter in the middle zone, becoming deciduous. And some deciduous plants - for example, hornbeams, on the contrary, retain foliage: it fades, but remains on the tree. Such plants should not be included in the winter garden picture.
Myth 2: Beautifully fruited plants are the main decoration of the winter garden
This is only partly correct: in the conditions of the middle zone, their winter decorativeness is somewhat exaggerated. They delight Western Europeans with their bright fruits for much longer. The climate affects the condition of the plants, and it is easier for birds to find food there - all our berries are eaten before the New Year. In addition, the closer the site is to the city and highways, the faster the fruits lose their appearance. Fungal diseases that have developed strongly in recent years also have an effect. But even if you live in a village, the surrounding birds are well-fed, and there is no trace of disease, plants with decorative fruits will still play a supporting role in the winter garden. The reason is simple: lack of assortment.
How to fix the situation:
Nevertheless, there is a choice of beautifully fruited ones. You can plant barberries and hawthorns, species apple trees and roses, snowberries and sea buckthorn, euonymus and rowan. Then, at least in late autumn and early winter - in the darkest, dullest and least snowy times - they will attract attention from afar
spectacular fruits. Of course, the scarlet twig of Thunberg barberry, bent over the path, is just a pleasant little thing, and not a garden-forming element, but seeing it, each of us will experience positive emotions. In addition, you can hang feeders. They will somewhat distract the birds from the bright fruits, and flocks of tits and bullfinches are in themselves a living and ringing decoration of the garden.
Myth 3: A tree with decorative bark will change the winter landscape
One trunk, even if very beautifully colored, is unlikely to change the picture of the winter garden. Imagine the coloristic effect of a lone birch tree in a field, then of a three-trunked one and, finally, of an entire birch grove - and you will understand what we are talking about.
How to fix the situation:
If you want your garden to impress guests even in winter, use multi-stemmed forms of ornamental bark plants or plant them using the bouquet planting method. Three- or four-trunked Maak bird cherry trees, birches, greenbark maples, “Russian eucalyptus” poplars in winter will produce a much greater effect than single-trunked ones. Ornamental bark shrubs are multi-stemmed by nature, but they should be regularly rejuvenated by planting them on a stump. It is on young shoots that the bark is the brightest. Such shrubs can be completely neutral in the summer and not attract attention to themselves, but when they shed their leaves, they immediately become almost the main accent. Such a change in points of attraction is very favorable, especially in small gardens.
Myth 4: Non-ornamental plants are not noticeable in winter
Many trees and shrubs after leaf fall are not particularly interesting, neutral. But there are also those that you don’t even want to look at in their leafless state. Remember what Manchurian aralia, crown mock orange, uncovered tree peonies look like in winter... The list goes on. Such plants not only will not decorate the winter landscape, but will make it even duller. There is no “zest” in them - neither the bright color of the shoots, nor the patterned tortuosity of the branches. It would be nice if we just didn’t notice them, but they attract the eye with their “negative” decorativeness.
How to fix the situation:
Switch attention from ugly bare branches to something else, for example, to small architectural forms. Particular attention should be paid to their color. Sculpture in a winter garden is no less an accent than in a summer garden. You can also play with color. Walls or fragments of them painted in warm colors, which are hidden behind emerald greenery in summer, will not only illuminate the garden in winter, but will also become a good backdrop for emerald conifers, coral turf, winding shoots of willow or hazel, and picturesque apple trees. After all, a beautiful pattern of branches can be appreciated only if the plant is located close to the observer and against a suitable background. In a miniature space, even the inflorescences of some herbaceous perennials left over for the winter can give a graphic appearance.
Summing up
What to do:
- use multi-stemmed trees with decorative bark or plant them using the bouquet planting method;
- install bird feeders to preserve decorative fruits on plants and diversify the picture of the winter garden;
- use evergreen uncovered deciduous plants for effect in late autumn and early spring, but do not clear snow from the paths on them in winter;
- plant shrubs with decorative fruits and branching closer to the points of perception.
And what not to do:
- use plants in the composition for the winter garden that will have to be covered for the winter;
- make plants with decorative fruits the only accents of the winter garden;
- plant low-growing plants in places where snow falls in winter after cleaning;
- planting within one glance a large number of conifers that are too heterogeneous in appearance;
- use “negatively” decorative plants in a leafless state;
- use plants that do not shed wilted leaves in the winter.
16.01.2018
When choosing plants for the garden, we first of all pay attention to its size and leaf color. But do not forget that multi-colored fruits can also add special charm to the plant. And this is very important in autumn, when the garden falls asleep, and in snowless winter, when the eye wants to focus on something bright. And today I would like to talk about ten of the most attractive shrubs with colorful fruits in our opinion.
Kalina
The shrub, 2-3 meters high, blooms very profusely in late spring - early summer. By autumn, the bush is sprinkled with wonderful red fruits, and if they are not collected, then in winter they will decorate the bush and stand out perfectly against the background of white snow. The berries are edible and very healthy, especially for older people, but they have a specific smell. Viburnum tolerates pruning well in early spring. Aphids love it very much, so it’s worth checking in the spring - at the beginning of summer, have voracious insects appeared? and treat with insecticides in time to prevent aphids from spreading throughout the garden.
Rose hip
Another shrub with large red fruits and a huge storehouse of vitamins on your site. There are many types of rose hips, with different heights and bush shapes, all of which belong to the rose family. In favorable conditions it can become a long-liver. Rose hips bloom beautifully, sometimes twice a season, filling the garden with a wonderful aroma. After flowering, fruits appear on the bushes, turning red in the sun in the fall. They can be of different sizes: from small oblong to flattened round and quite large. The fruits can be collected and dried in order to support your body in the cold season with a rosehip decoction containing large quantities of vitamin C, or you can leave them on the bush to decorate the garden. Be careful, rosehips are very thorny!
Chokeberry or chokeberry
We have already written about this wonderful plant as the owner, but this shrub with black fruits can also decorate your garden at any time of the year, even in winter. If you don’t pick the berries from it and leave them on the branches, they can easily be preserved until spring. The fruits are completely black, dense, and have a beautiful bluish bloom. The height of the bush varies up to 2-3 meters; it is very resistant to garden pests and living conditions, but will bear fruit well in the sun. It grows and reproduces very quickly. The berries are edible, have an astringent taste, they make delicious tinctures, great for adding to jam and compotes.
Snowberry
Shrub with white fruits. It will decorate your garden when the leaves have fallen and it is completely empty. This is when the snowberry comes to the fore. Children do not pass by it, because they love to pick its fruits and burst them on the ground with a pleasant click. The fruits can remain on the bush all winter, decorating the garden until snow falls. Its height reaches 1.5 meters. It is quite unpretentious; you just need to cut out dry and diseased branches in time to maintain its decorative effect. The fruits are inedible, so even though kids love them, you need to be careful and not let them try to eat them.
Barberry
Another bush with red fruits. Gardeners love it for its abundance of species and beautiful leaves. The height of the bush varies depending on the variety. The fruits of barberry are small and oblong, and by autumn they acquire a rich red or purple color. They abundantly cover the branch along almost its entire length. As a rule, rarely does anyone pick the fruits, and they remain to decorate the fallen bush until spring. Fruits can be eaten during heat treatment only in a ripe state; unripe berries can cause poisoning.
Hawthorn
It is a tall shrub, in some cases reaching the size of a tree and a height of 6 meters. Its fruits are very decorative and can be of different colors: deep orange, brown or dark red. In shape, they resemble small apples with a diameter of no more than 1 cm. The fruits can be used for food, they contain useful acids and vitamin B. But if you are not going to do this, leave the berries on the branches and they will certainly decorate your garden in the cold season, until they are eaten.
cotoneaster
This shrub can decorate your garden with black or red fruits, abundantly showering the bush in September. The berries may well last all winter. They are not eaten. Cotoneaster has different shapes and can decorate not only group plantings, but also an alpine hill if you use low-growing creeping species. It tolerates shaping well and retains its shape for a long time. Possess winter hardiness: aronia cotoneaster, brilliant and common cotoneaster.
Krasivokrudnik
A plant that is not very common in our areas, because not all of its varieties are able to survive our cold winters. It is unique in that in September it is abundantly covered with purple fruits. The shrub reaches a height of about 2.5 meters and blooms in mid-summer with pink or purple flowers. Bodiniere and forkwort are suitable for our strip. Enjoy the delicate color of the bush until late autumn and during the snowless part of winter. In very severe frosts it is still worth covering it, especially for young plants. The shrub is not affected by pests and easily recovers after frostbite.
Elder
This shrub with black or red fruits will decorate your garden from September, when the fruits are fully ripe. Depending on the variety, the height can be different and reach from 1-2 to 5 meters. Red berries are inedible, but black ones are used in folk medicine, as they have a huge range of beneficial properties. Black elderberry can be shaped with good pruning. Elderberry can withstand normal winters, but if the temperature drops too low, parts that were not covered with snow may freeze. After sanitary spring pruning, it is restored quite easily.
Euonymus
A shrub with red fruits of a very interesting shape, remaining on the branches until the snow and even sometimes in winter. There are quite a few types of euonymus and they will differ in the size and appearance of the fruit-boxes, but it will always be something unusual. The photo shows the fruits of European euonymus. Euonymuses have fairly good winter hardiness and all of them have decorative leaves, variegated or plain.
Here are some shrubs you can keep in mind and plant them in the spring to brighten up that time when the gray filter through which we are forced to look at the world predominates, and this is quite a long period.
House project “Time to create gardens”
Oksana Tsyganova
In addition to a successful planning solution, competent selection of plants is no less important. The first thing that comes to mind is evergreen plantings. Of course, it’s impossible without them.
But deciduous trees in a winter landscape look no worse. Their openwork skeletons covered with frost or snow will become beautiful elements of the winter garden.
When laying out the landscape, planting material is divided into two groups: trees and shrubs, which will form mixed groups, and individual tapeworm trees.
The first ones are better located in those places where it is necessary to protect the site from the wind, along the perimeter of the territory, in order to create the illusion of the absence of a fence or a visual perspective (visually expand the boundaries of the site).
Let's move from shape to color.
In nature, white is not the only shade of winter. Go into a snowy forest and you will definitely find the presence of at least two more colors there - green and red.
So why not add some color accents to your garden? It’s so easy, because our nature is generous, and breeders have been working on developing new varieties for centuries...
Green color is traditionally represented by conifers, evergreen shrubs, and moss. They are combined with each other, forming solitary plantings, or they are planted separately to emphasize the beauty of each plant.
The most effective solo is obtained from slender pines. Their spreading crowns are a self-sufficient decoration. This does not mean that the pine tree should stick out alone in the middle of the plot - add short-growing relatives (dwarf species) to it and such a family will delight your eyes for many years.
But plants that have a crown shape in the form of a candle, a pyramid, or creep along the ground need the company of complementary species. Moreover, when creating such an array, you should pay attention not only to the shape, but also to the color.
Thus, a group of conifers of different heights will look impressive due to the difference in levels, but if below everything merges into a single green mass, then their decorative effect will be only half used. Add elements with lighter (salad or silver) needles to the composition and it will take on a finished look.
Don’t ignore such a spectacular element of decorating your yard and garden as a hedge.
It can serve as a guide line, leading you from one point (for example, a gate) to another (a house, a patio, a garden). But it’s even better if these evergreen plantings on the site form small walls of different heights and directions.
But let's return to other bright accents. The red color in the winter garden comes from berries that have ripened in the fall and are left hanging on the branches.
Considering the small size of the latter, to decorate the winter landscape it is worth choosing those species that form clusters. Most berry bushes are deciduous, so in winter they will look like a skeleton covered in frost and strewn with red beads.
If there are areas in the garden where the shade from coniferous plants is not very dense, and the soil is always moist (that is, the conditions are as close as possible to those in the forest), it makes sense to plant moss and lingonberries there.
Its small purple berries stay on the branches almost until spring, are practically invisible under the snow, but come to the fore during the winter thaw. And instead of black clearings, you will admire the red lights in the background.
PLANTS FOR WINTER LANDSCAPE 
- winged euonymus - a shrub that has a fragile and branched skeleton;
- blood-red turf is famous not only for the color of its leaves, but also for the bright red bark of its young shoots;
- golden willow is one of the most charming trees; in addition to its weeping crown, it is famous for its long, thin, hanging branches with golden-yellow bark;
- the warty birch fits organically into the snowy landscape because it has black and white bark and an openwork shawl of branches that flutters in the wind;
- spiral willow Matsudana (pictured on the right) is the most mysterious and spectacular of the trees for the winter garden;
- red maple is beautiful in summer with its bright foliage, and in winter with its spreading form of snow-covered crown;
- aspen is good at all times, be sure to find a place for it in your garden;
- in themselves they are a decoration of the garden, and in winter they once again emphasize the professionalism of the gardener.
- some varieties.
Berry bushes:
- viburnum,
- dogwood,
- holly (link above),
- Rowan.
Conifers:
- pine,
- hemlock,
Ornamental grasses:
- feather grass,
- miscanthus,
- reed molinia.
- alpine carnation,
- lavender.
Galina Kotkova, landscape designer, answers these and other questions.
Summer has left the gardens, and the riot of flowers gives way to the autumn palette. Each season has its own individual beauty, the main thing is to highlight it correctly.
The pressing question is: what will the garden look like from November to April, what will you see from the window for six months, waiting for spring, what will the garden delight and delight even during deep sleep.
The winter landscape on the site is based on coniferous evergreen trees and shrubs that do not require shelter for the winter: these are fluffy Cossack pines, junipers and spruces. They will delight the eye with their dense greenery and will play the role of screens and screens covering unwanted buildings and greenhouses. Against a coniferous background, the fruits of rowan, viburnum, ornamental apple and hawthorn trees will look cheerful and bright. In addition, winter berries attract bullfinches and tits, which greatly enlivens the garden.
I would like to draw your attention to the correct and regular cutting of deciduous trees, because the neat architecture of the crowns is clearly legible and also greatly decorates the garden, even if there are no leaves on the branches. Moreover, regular pruning prolongs the beauty and youth of trees and shrubs. Also diversifying the graphics of the branches is larch, decorated with many small cones that form a fancy pattern against the background of the sky or the wall of the house.
The next accent in the winter garden is decorative bark. Many people are already familiar with such plants as white dogwood and goat willow. Their bark is very bright, if you plant them in a hedge or in patches of 3-5 or more plants, you can get a luscious cloud of red to yellowish-green hue. Of the trees with unusual bark, I will note the following species: Maak bird cherry (orange-brown), birch (white), white Nivea poplar (white-gray), pine (old orange bark). Shrubs: white derain - red branches, Flaviramea derain - yellow-green, goat willow - yellowish-green.
In winter, there is an opportunity to see all the beauty of trees, grasses and shrubs, undisguised foliage and a riot of flowers. A thoughtful color and shape solution for various compositions, which will give positive emotions at any time of the year, will help break the stereotype of the sadness of the garden in winter.
The properties of trees and shrubs change with the seasons. Only evergreen plants remain unchanged. But a garden of only coniferous plants will not give you the feeling of a change of season. Therefore, the share of evergreens in the garden design should not exceed more than 40%.
The leaders in garden design among coniferous plants are species and varieties of junipers, evergreen boxwood, thuja occidentalis, fir, different types and varieties of pine and spruce. Combinations of contrasting colors that are not noticeable in summer are very effective in winter, for example, gray spruce “Echiniformis” with thuja “Smaragd” or common spruce “Little Gem” with spruce “Oldenburg”.
In winter, the white bark of birch with the evergreen mahonia holly looks very beautiful in the garden.
A special impression is created from contemplating a garden of Erica and heather; their dry perianths can remain on the shoots for a long time. In winter, cotoneaster, fortune's euonymus, thyme, lavender, hellebore, and iberis become relevant.
The uniqueness of a beautiful winter garden design lies in the correct planning of compositions, which involves placing bushes according to the size, texture and shape of the crown. The most decorative in winter will be shrubs and trees with columnar, pyramidal, umbrella, spherical, and also weeping crown shapes with twisted branches.
Small trees with twisted branches - common hazel "Contorta" and Matsudana willow - will give an unusual look to a beautiful winter garden. The weeping form of the crown of rowan, mulberry, willow, apple berry, beech, birch, and elm will undoubtedly decorate the garden in cold winter.
In terms of decorative bark, the leaders are birch, Scots pine, beech, red willow, Poppy bird cherry, and white dogwood.
The decorative effect of fruits, determined by size, brightness of color, originality of shape, duration of storage on branches, abundance of fruiting, appears when parks and gardens begin to be covered in white winter.
The fruits of viburnum, rose hips, rowan, medlar, hawthorn, mahonia holly, barberry, and snowberry create bright accents in cloudy weather and lift your spirits well. Gleditsia, sycamore, catalpa, and bladderwort are distinguished by interesting fruit shapes in winter. Weymouth pine, fir, spruce and other coniferous plants decorate their crowns with cones.
A beautiful winter landscape can be decorated with frosted and dried foliage of ornamental grasses and ears of cereals, which retain their attractiveness for a long time. The gray fescue hummocks sprinkled with snow look beautiful.
Thanks to tall grasses, such as reed grass and Chinese miscanthus, which resist snowflakes and create some dynamics in the garden, the feeling of sleepy nature is simply absent.
