Dave's Garden Winter

The Winter doesn't have to be devoid of color. There are many evergreens with colorful foliage, and some flowering shrubs that bloom for extended periods of the season.

Colorado Spruce

There are many varieties of spruce, most with green needles. The most popular and colorful are the Colorado spruce with a range of blue green to blue needles. The common Colorado Blue spruce is grown from seed, and each seedling from a parent plant can have a different shade of green to blue. However, once you have planted a spruce with blue needles it will remain that color as long as it is in good health.

There are a number of named selections of blue spruce found in garden centers. Colorado spruce with names such as 'Fat Albert', 'Bacheri', 'Hoopsi', 'Globosa', and others have been selected because they have desirable characteristics such as sky blue color, and compact growth habit. These are propogated by rooting cuttings so that the genetics of the new plant are identical to the parent.  

Helleborus

Helleborus have recently gained popularity for their Winter flowering habit. Although helleborus are sold as perennials their foliage is evergreen. The late-Winter flowers are often difficult to see because they face the ground.

Mahonia

Mahonia beali and aquifolium are hardy in our area, although Aquifolium, the Oregon Grape Holly often suffers foliage damage. Both begin to bloom in late Fall with the yellow flowers opening in mid-Winter. In early Spring the flowers fade and bluish grape-like fruit develops.