The structure of the garden is more evident in the winter than any other season. At Dawn Gardens the grasses don’t get cut back until February so they are very visible.
Some details in the garden are more visible such as bark, winter foliage color, fruit and branching structure.
Strawberry Tree (Arbutus ‘Marina’) bark
Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) bark
Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’)
Peking Lilac (Syringa reticulata pekinensis)
Mahonia ‘Marvel’ winter color
Ilex ‘Berry Nice’
Washington Thorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum)
Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
A few plants bloom in the winter and here are a few examples:
Eryngium planum ‘Jade Frost’
Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’)
Camellia sasanqua ‘Chansonette’
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’
Camellia ‘Capture Enriches’
Contorted Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles ‘Contorta Orange’)
Crocus
Heather (Erica carnea)
Common Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
Paperwhite Narcissus
Hellebore (Helleborus)
See post of Feb. 7, 2019 “Hellebores”
Daphne ‘Perfume Princess’
Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Nanjing Gold’ is related to Daphne.
Euphorbia rigida flowers
The flowers of the grasses are very dominant in the winter garden.
The native grassland in the winter is lush and green.
It seldom snows at Dawn Gardens because the elevation is only 1300′ but once in awhile we may get up to 6″. These photos were taken in 2014:
