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GARDENER'S
READING ROOM
The Art of Gardening
Trees and Shrubs
Strolling through the Late Winter Garden
So I’ve mulched the flower beds, pruned my fruit trees and shrubs…. The weather’s grown cold and dismal. I’ve settled into my couch for the winter and I’m not venturing out again until I see flowers! If, like me, you don’t want to wait until April to trek back outside, here’s a short list of plants that will help jump-start spring in your own yard.
 For me the goldenrod to lemon blooms of Forsythia herald the arrival of spring. Unfortunately the rest of the year forsythia can be a scraggly shrub with few redeeming features…until now. Monrovia nursery has released Forsythia ‘Gold Cluster’ and F. ‘Magical Gold,’ both gardener-friendly forsythias reaching a compact 4 to 5 feet high and wide. ‘Gold Cluster’ explodes each spring in a bold canary display. ‘Magical Gold,’ developed for the cut flower trade, is equally exciting; its branches are clothed from base to tip in bright gold blooms.
Yellow flowers in late winter are nice, but by the end of February I want to see red. That’s why one of grandma’s favorites, flowering quince (Chaenomeles), is a must-have for a sunny location. Chaenomeles ‘Super Red’ boasts huge vermillion blossoms on a large (8 feet tall and up to 6 feet wide) upright shrub. C. ‘Toyo-nishiki,’ another large variety, is unique for bearing red, white, and pink flowers all on the same plant. C. ‘Cameo’ is an apricot-pink form which stays under 4 feet. The even smaller C. ‘Contorta’ averages only 2 to 3 feet high. It is especially nice for late winter flower arrangements because of its twisted growth habit and white flowers opening from deep pink buds.
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Prunus mume |
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Not to be outdone by early-blooming shrubs, the first flowerer in my yard is a tree. Many people aren’t familiar with this favorite of mine. Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) is a welcome reprieve from winter’s drudgery. The buds start to swell as early as December and by February are typically fully open. The flowers range from white to red, have a spicy cinnamon scent and are stunning on long green stems (which also look beautiful in a vase). Prunus mume ‘Matsubura Red,’ as its name implies, sports deep pinky-red flowers. P. m. ‘Dawn’ features pale pink, incredibly large (up to 2”), double blooms. Japanese apricot grows to 25 feet and develops a gnarled habit and almost black bark with age.
There are still other shrubs, perennials, and bulbs which help to brighten the winter garden and deserve their time in the spotlight. When you come in, you can ask me about them.
By Brian Mumm
Skylights Spring 2007 Vol. 22, No. 1
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