How colourful?
What's winter like in my garden? Moderate, temperate. A few frosts. Not usually any snow that settles, touch wood. Shrubs don't need to be wrapped up (though some plants will be shifted into the glass-house).
How colourful?
So how colourful is my winter garden? There's flower colour : small splashes of purple (early Honesty, creeping violas), the Potato vine (white), orange Calendulas bravely blooming, as are the yellow Paris Daisy shrubs.
An assortment of greens, golds, pinks, creams, and reds can be seen on the striped hybrid and species Phormiums I grow.
The gaudy citrus yellow Wattle trees flower in winter. Shrubs like Viburnum tinus flower now, as do several low growing Ericas. And then there are the very early Camellias and the winter flowering Hebes.
But I guess the most noticeable colours in my winter garden are green and brown. First, the browns : ornamental grasses, tree trunks, ferns ready to be trimmed, leaves needing to be raked up, and so on. And just a bit of wildlife!
The winter greens range from the dark forest greens of the Pseudopanax shrubs to the lime green Escallonia foliage. Evergreen foliage shrubs and trees grow happily throughout winter. I love green!
Golden leaf variegations can be found everywhere. I love variegated plants and shrubs - they lighten up the dreariest of winter days.
