landscape by Evgenia Bazhenova

landscape

winter landscape - 23 x 27 inch --oil on canvas £480- framed

village landscape - 43,5 x 34,5 inch ( this picture is a Thomas Kinkade reproduction )-- oil on canvas £600- framed

bridge landscape - 15 x 10 inch oil on canvas paper £ 150-unframed

What makes a plant popular for winter landscapes in the snowy regions of the globe? Are conifers the sole contestants? Which landscaping plants are automatically disqualified? Which shrubs are best for attracting wild birds? Answering such questions should help generate landscaping ideas for dealing with that Scrooge of the seasonal landscapes, horticulturally speaking -- the winter landscape.

Our goal is to turn a drab winter landscape into a winter scene worth painting! While evergreen shrubs and conifer trees undeniably add visual interest to winter landscapes, so do many other plants. About the only plants that are disqualified right at the outset are those that lack any appreciable height: no matter how pretty a plant may be, it will add no visual interest to the winter landscape if it lies buried all winter, dwarfed by a blanket of snow. Based on this premise, let's explore ideas to enhance the winter landscape. And let's keep in mind all the while the fact that many landscaping enthusiasts are also bird watchers; so that a plant's ability to attract wild birds will be a consideration.

A winning plant for winter landscapes will have one or more of the following characteristics: Contains colorful berries that attract birds for bird watching Readily catches snow in its branches Exhibits a delicate structure Is clad in a bark that is colorful or that has an unusual texture Bears evergreen foliage Has an interesting branching pattern Let's look at some popular plants exhibiting these characteristics. I'll let conifers take a back seat; their value to winter landscapes goes without saying, so I'm limiting their representation to two entries here.

The following is a list of 10 popular plants for adding visual interest in winter: Christmas holly shrubs red osier dogwood plume grass bayberry cranberrybush viburnum winterberry holly birch trees yew shrubs Canadian hemlocks Viking black chokeberry Evergreen holly is popular due to its striking, year-round foliage and bright berries that attract many bird species. Sprigs of cut holly have long been used in winter holiday decorations. Yews are a part of the tradition of Christmas decorating in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

Sprigs have long been cut from yews to be used like Christmas holly. These conifers bear evergreen needles and bright red berries. But keep children away from both the foliage and the berries of these poisonous plants; the seeds and needles are quite toxic! Please consult my full-length article for more information on yew shrubs.

Canadian hemlocks (Tsuga canadenesis) are best known as forest trees that reach enormous heights (60' or more). But if you select a shrub-form cultivar, Canadian hemlocks can be maintained at the height you desire. A properly pruned row of Canadian hemlock shrubs can form a dense and attractive hedge. Or let their feathery foliage grow naturally and use them as specimens. Either way, these evergreen conifers will help give your winter landscape some much-needed visual interest. Like winterberry holly Viking black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa 'Viking') tolerates poorly-drained soils. Like American cranberrybush viburnum (see Page 1) and barberry (see Page 3) this shrub provides foliage that ranges from red to purple in fall, making it a two-season standout. Viking black chokeberry is hardy to zone 3. As with all the berries mentioned in this article, chokeberry berries serve as an emergency food for wild birds.

They're not the birds' first choice (they are astringent or otherwise unpalatable which is why they stick around so long!). But when the birds get desperate, these plants are their salvation. Its white flowers in May yield to purplish black berry clusters. It grows to a height of 3'-5', with a spread of 3'-5'. The final two shrubs didn't make my Top 10 list. I mention them simply because they used to be popular for providing winter scenes in the yard: Japanese barberry shrubs and winged euonymous shrubs. Both, however, are invasive plants, so seek alternative components for your winter scenes where possible.

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) is a rounded shrub with thorns, hardy to zone 3. It ranges between 4' and 6' both in height and spread. Its leaves put on a color show in autumn, changing to orange, then to reddish purple. Small yellow flowers in spring are succeeded by oval, red berries. The berries persist well into the cold months, thus serving not only as components for winter scenes, but also as a source of food for wild birds.