I can't say I look forward to cold weather, but I do appreciate the subtle beauty of the winter garden. And even though it's been an exceptional fall for brilliant foliage, I know I won't be disappointed when the maples, oaks and beeches finally drop their leaves.

Because now the bark beauties, as well as evergreens and a few precious flowers, will have a chance to strut their stuff. Whether it's the glistening cinnamon bark of paperbark maple, Acer griseum, the orange-red stems of shrubby dogwoods or the fragrant flowers of witch hazels, the winter garden offers color and blooms unique to the season.

(ENLARGE)

Witch hazel has spidery blooms.

(ENLARGE)

Wintersweet has an exceptionally lovely fragrance. It blooms as early as December.

(ENLARGE)

Spiketail

E. GLASENER (ENLARGE)

Japanese flowering apricot

Pairing up evergreens and conifers with deciduous trees and shrubs will help you get the most out of your winter garden.

Among the trees with winter flowers, fragrant wintersweet, Chimonanthus praecox, is one of the first to bloom, sometimes as early as December and continuing into January and February. My favorite description of these jewel-like flowers appears in "The Fragrant Year" by Helen Van Pelt Wilson and Leonie Bell. First published in 1967, this book continues to delight me: "The flowers begin as little balls easily detected in early fall in the leaf axils of five-year or older plants. First they swell to fat golden peas; when open, their overall color is sheer yellow, so transparent that the shadow lines of outer petals are visible within. The stemless flowers are snug against the stems and often open upside down." Like some other winter bloomers, wintersweet does not make a handsome specimen and is best tucked in a corner planted against a background of evergreen foliage to highlight the flowers.

There's not much that blooms on a frigid January day but Japanese flowering apricot, Prunus mume, which is full of promise with its polished green stems and big fat buds. In a matter of days or weeks, the sweet scent of its colorful flowers ('Peggy Clarke' has deep rose double flowers, but there are also selections with light pink and white flowers) will fill the air. At my former garden, I planted this fast-growing tree on the strip between the sidewalk and the street, where it never failed to evoke comments and praise from passers-by. Most years it would bloom for at least a month. I remember someone once told me I must be upset that my cherry tree was blooming so early, mistakenly referring to the apricot.

Witch hazels are another genus that offers fragrant winter blooms. On bright days in February and March, the straplike petals unfurl and release their strong, clean perfume. Some popular hybrids include Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise', which has clear yellow flowers with a reddish calyx, and 'Jelena', with yellow-orange flowers and the bonus of colorful fall foliage. Hamamelis mollis 'Early Bright', a selection of the Chinese witch hazel, bears fragrant, bright yellow blooms in February and March on bare stems. Other selections include H. mollis 'Pallida', with large, pale yellow flowers, and 'Princeton Gold', with golden yellow flowers. Witch hazels can be used where a large shrub or small tree is called for. One thing to note is that with some varieties the flowers can be obscured by the previous year's dead, persistent foliage.

Hellebores make an effective evergreen ground cover under shrubs like witch hazels or deciduous hollies with their brilliant winter berries. Helleborus orientalis, called the Lenten rose, blooms in late winter and spring, but there are many other selections that put on a winter show. Look for H. orientalis 'Double Queen' or other species like H. argutifolius, with chartreuse flowers.

ERICA'S PICK

Spiketail

Botanical name: Stachyurus praecox 'Issai'

About the plant: In February and March this unusual shrub produces long, multibranched clusters of small, yellow, bell-shaped flowers on dark purple to cinnamon stems before the leaves appear. The green-toothed leaves take on tints of gold to red in fall.

Use in the garden: Plant spiketail in the shrub border against an evergreen backdrop. Underplant it with early-spring bulbs like miniature daffodils.

Planting and care: Plant in well-drained soil in full sun or part shade.

Source: McMahan's Nursery, 5727 Cleveland Highway, Clermont. 770-983-3666, www.mcmahansnursery.com.