Fill containers with wintertime favorites

One of the great things about gardening is the change of seasons. As winter approaches I find myself thinking about old favorites like Paperbark maple, Acer griseum with its glistening cinnamon bark; Stewartia pseudocamellia, its trunk a patchwork of colors; and Winter Sweet, Chimonanthus praecox with its delightful fragrant flowers. Of the shrubby dogwoods I am drawn to, Cornus “Winter Flame” gets my vote this season, especially against a backdrop of conifers.

Other plants I look forward to sniffing include Japanese Flowering Apricot, Prunus mume and Winter Daphne, Daphne odora, each offering its own unique perfume. Hollies, both deciduous and evergreen types, are also noteworthy for handsome foliage and colorful fruit. And conifers that play a secondary role the rest of the year suddenly become key players too.

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ERICA GLASENER

Cedrus deodara ‘Aurea,’ a golden Deodar Cedar, with snapdragon and liberty series.

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ERICA GLASENER

The snow false cypress is a conifer great for containers or as a focal point in the ground.

ERICA'S PICK
Snow False Cypress
Botanical name: Chameacyparis pisifera "Snow"
About the plant: This conifer has fine, delicate-looking blue-green foliage with white tips. At maturity it may grow to 6 feet tall by 6 feet wide, but this will take some time. Keep it in check with regular pruning.
Use in the garden: Great for containers or as a focal point in the ground. Combine it with other conifers, hollies, or plant it with colorful annuals such as pansies.
Planting and care: Plant this conifer in part sun and well-drained soil.
Source: Habersham Gardens, 2067 Manchester St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324; 404-873-2484

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While many of these winter beauties require time and space before they come into their own, you can easily create winter gardens in pots that promise to please immediately. Charming and cheerful, pansies or violas (my preference) are a no-brainer. The range of colors available makes it hard to choose a favorite, so I grow a number of different selections. I like to group pots together for the best impact. In some pots I grow violas with snapdragons and in others I grow conifers and even ornamental grasses and sedges like Carex testacea.

I always look forward to seeing what new combinations the Atlanta Botanical Garden comes up with for its winter containers, and this year several of them caught my eye. I’m not a big fan of Mahonia, which tends to be coarse and prickly, but Mahonia “Soft Caress,” like its name, is soft and more delicate than other members of this genus.

At ABG they have paired it with Viola ‘Endurio Yellow and Red Wing.’ Conifers make great centerpieces for the winter and Cryptomeria japonica “Black Dragon” is enhanced by the addition of Viola “Sorbet Lemon Chiffon” and Trachelospermum asiaticum “Ogon Nishiki,” also known as Gold Heart Korean Jasmine. This shrubby vine has creamy gold centered leaves that are also tinged red. An oversized container that appealed to me features Sky pencil holly, Ilex crenata “Sky Pencil,” a big exclamation point surrounded by Dianthus and violas.

Conifers, especially different selections of Hinoki Cypress, Chameacyparis obtusa, are great candidates for containers. At Sauls, a wholesale nursery in Atlanta, they plant up all sorts of combinations in pots — Hinoki Cypress with pansies and sedums, and Chameacyparis pisifera “Snow” with white violas and Lonicera nitida “Baggesen’s Gold.” Sunspray Dwarf Hinoiki Cypress, Chameacyparis obtusa “Sunspray,” adds welcome sunshine and will grow happily in full sun.

Cedrus deodara “Aurea,” a golden Deodar Cedar, is paired with white snapdragons (the Liberty series) Heuchera “Caramel,” violas and Pinus palustris, the Longleaf Pine.

Plant up one or several containers and create your own winter garden.

If conifers or other shrubs outgrow their containers, you can transplant them to the garden and try another combination in the same pot.