Winter is a time for reflection in the garden as well as for appreciating the foliage, texture, structure and form of plants — not just blooms.

Having moved to a new property last spring, I am starting a garden from scratch, and many of my plants sit patiently waiting in pots for a new home.

see caption (ENLARGE)

Photos by ERICA GLASENER / Special Japanese persimmon has large, egg-shaped orange fruits in winter.

(ENLARGE)

Cyclamen hederifolium

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A winter favorite, planted in a temporary spot, is poet's laurel, Danae racemosa, a treasure I brought with me from my former garden. This elegant evergreen has glossy foliage and a graceful arching habit. In autumn it produces red-orange fruits the size of small marbles. Mature plants reach 2 to 3 feet high and wide, the perfect size for gardens with limited space.

Some plants touted for winter interest begin blooming in late fall and continue through winter, while others wait until February before they put on a show. And some have foliage that not only holds up but shines all winter long. It's the combination of flower, foliage, bark and bloom that creates the most interesting gardens, no matter what the season.

Here are some favorite winter performers of several Atlanta garden designers and nursery owners:

Designer David McMullin of New Moon Gardens:

• Italian arum, Arum italicum — Handsome foliage emerges in fall, lasts all winter.

• Parney cotoneaster, Cotoneaster lacteus (C. parneyi) — This 6- to 10-foot evergreen shrub offers red fruits that persist through winter.

• Cyclamen hederifolium — Striking leaves, green marbled with silver and white, stand out in the winter landscape. Late-fall flowers are a bonus.

• Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki — Deciduous small tree has large, egg-shaped to rounded yellow to orange fruits, 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

• Spicebush, Lindera salicifolia — A deciduous shrub with green leaves that turn tawny and persist until spring.

• Mahonia x 'Winter Sun' — Tough evergreen with fragrant winter blooms.

• Taxus chinensis — A fast-growing upright yew up to 15 feet. Tolerates heavy shade.

• Windmill palm, Trachycarpus fortunei — Beautiful all year even with a light covering of snow.

Designer David Ellis of Ellis LanDesign:

• Japanese maple, Acer palmatum 'Dissectum' — A striking winter silhouette.

• Weeping European hornbeam, Carpinus betulus 'Pendula' — Great for its weeping habit.

• Fatshedera, Fatshedera lizei — Especially the green and yellow variegated forms. Tolerates heavy shade. Great to train up a wall or arbor.

• Variegated Japanese fatsia, Fatsia japonica 'Spider Web': This elegant evergreen needs a few hours of sun (morning is best) to show off its white webbing. A good companion for tassel fern.

Carole Simpson, Ashe-Simpson Garden Center:

• Camellias — Always wonderful for color and foliage.

• Washington hawthorn, Crataegus viridis 'Winter King' — Keeps its red berries for a long time.

• Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica 'Black Dragon' — Lovely tiny brown cones and rich green foliage.

• Baldcypress, Taxodium distichum: In its denuded state it has a great form.

Luca Gianturco, Scottsdale Farms:

• Arctic Fire dogwood, Cornus stolonifera 'Farrow' — Colorful winter stems.

• Harry Lauder's walking stick, Corylus avellana 'Contorta' — Gnarled and twisted branches create a unique sculpture.

• Vernal witch hazel, Hamamelis vernalis — Fragrant blooms January to March.

• Deciduous holly, Ilex 'Sparkleberry' — Stunning red berries.

• Picea pungens 'Fat Albert' — A selection of blue spruce.

• Weeping pussy willow (Salix caprea 'Pendula'), French pink pussy willow (S. caprea 'Select'), corkscrew pussy willow (S. matsudana 'Scarcuzam'), black pussy willow (S. melanostachys) — All have colorful stems, catkins and interesting forms.

ERICA'S PICK

Hardy cyclamen

Botanical name: Cyclamen hederifolium

About the plant: Handsome perennial grows from a corm and forms a 6- to 12-inch wide mound of heart- to arrow-shaped green leaves mottled with silver and white. Tiny pink flowers appear above the foliage in fall.

Use in the garden: Plant in a mass with other woodland gems like ferns and hellebores. Also a good candidate to naturalize.

Planting and care: Hardy cyclamen likes part sun or light shade and moist, well-drained soil. Plant in gravel to discourage squirrels from digging up the bulbs.

Source: Plant Delights Nursery, 9241 Sauls Road, Raleigh, NC 27603; 919-772-4794. (Pike Family Nurseries will have this plant in February.)