A lot of people dread winter because landscapes can look a little bit like Siberia, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you remember the three B’s, Bones, Berries and Bark.
The bones are the evergreen shrubs that serve as the structural foundation of the garden. Notice how lush and alive this winter landscape looks, thanks to the layered placement of evergreen shrubs.
Some of our best evergreens are ligustrums, cleyera, and hollies. Of course, natives can also play an important role. A couple of my favorites are the wax myrtle and the dwarf palmetto palm.
But the hollies are great for another reason and that is our second “B” - berries. Hollies are weather-tough and the bright red berries of native hollies, like the yaupon and the possum haw, provide landscape color and food for birds.
The native parsley hawthorn may have more berries than any other plant. It gets its name from its leaves that indeed, do look like parsley. In addition to providing berries for birds its twiggy top structure also provides good nesting opportunities.
Now, let’s consider the importance of the last B and that is for Bark.
Notice how these old crape myrtles stand so picturesque, with their smooth shiny bark which creates great winter appeal.
And if you like exfoliating bark, none is prettier than that of the native river birch. Exfoliating paper sheets reveal colored bark ranging from white to salmon pink.
You can indeed B a happy gardener, if you remember the 3 B’s of a dazzling winter landscape. The Bones of evergreen foundation plants, Berries and Bark. I’m Norman Winter for Southern Gardening.