Winter Flower Bed

Climbers

• Climbing flowers add interest to the back of a flower bed and soften a wall or fence. You can also add a trellis or arbor to a flower bed for the climbers. Clematis is a hardy perennial with more than 200 species. Choose an evergreen species such as Clematis x jouiniana or 'Praecox or a species that blooms during the winter months such as Clematis Napaulensis (the Nepal clematis). Honeysuckle or lonicera is also a good climbing plant for a seasonal flower bed. Some species are evergreen, and the plant flowers from May through late September. Jasminum or jasmine is a hardy climber that has evergreen species. Jasmine plants will flower from December through September, making it a desirable climber for a winter flower bed.

Flowering Bushes

• Winter garden beds can be colorful even without flowers. Many perennials have beautiful foliage that changes color during winter months. Evergreen mahonia has shiny, spiky, holly-like leaves that turn coppery and reddish-brown during winter months. In addition to the colorful foliage, mahonia also produces flamboyant heads of yellow or golden cone-like flowers from November to May. Osmanthus is a spring- or fall-flowering plant that has beautiful foliage year-round. The shrub can grow to up to 10 feet. Another flowering bush that adds color to a winter flower bed is the rhododendron. The evergreen species of the perennial enriches a flower bed with color from flowers from December to August, but its broad leaves also add a background of color for other plants when it is not blooming.

Bulbs

• Use bulbs to border a seasonal flower bed. Hyacinth, freesia, galanthus (snowdrop) and eranthus are only a few of the bulbs that bloom during the winter months. Plant these in early fall. Early bloomers, such as crocus, kaffir lily and chionodoxa can keep a bulb border blooming from February through April. Leave space between bulbs or change out winter bloomers with summer bulbs, such as Dahlia and foxtail lily. Autumn bloomers such as gladiolus can also be planted in winter. With the variety of bulbs to choose from, a flower bed can have a colorful border year round.

Ornamental Grasses

• Ornamental grasses can range in size from 6 inches to 13 feet, depending on the species. The distinctive leaf shapes of ornamental grasses make them an excellent choice for mixing with shrubs and perennials to provide contrast and color to a winter garden. Miscanthus sinensis varieties such as "zebra grass" or "flamingo" produce plumes of flowers in late summer and fall. The tall growers (up to 4 feet) look good crested with frost and snow during winter months, but the grass should be cut down in early spring to allow for new growth. Other grasses to try include stipa arundicacea, panicum birgatum and imperata cylindrica.