Cleo’s Washington Garden in Winter

A garden with year-round interest has blooms, berries, and fantastic foliage that keeps color constant through cold temperatures

Happy Monday GPODers !

While we ’ve been reveling in the colour and intensity of peak time of year landscapes through some unbelievable 2024 garden retrospective , we ’re start this week with a reminder that there is still colouring and interest to be found in winter . This past gloam we receive a fabulous tour of Cleo Raulerson ’s stunning back garden in Bellevue , Washington as it register off gorgeous fall coloring and a arras of diverse texture and contour ( Late October in Cleo ’s Back Garden ) . Now she ’s treating us to a term of enlistment of her front garden in the midst of winter , and the space is count anything but drab or dull .

My garden is design to have people of colour and interest year - around with winter being mostly greens , browns and a few touches of color ( yes , brown is a safe garden color ) . Pots , sculptures and garden features dally a key role .

I have long had a “ messy wintertime garden ” with seedheads , browned perennials and shine leaves for winter interest group — now research has found that it is healthier for our gardens and its critter , too . Yay !

My October post focused on the back garden . My wintertime mail shows my front garden with our mid - century modern sign on a rare , gay January Clarence Day .

Layers on a garden bank : red berry of rockspray cotoneaster(Cotoneasterhorizontalis , Zones 5–7);soft shield fern(Polystichumsetiferum , Zones 6–8);and ‘ Speedy Silver Rose ’ cyclamen(Cyclamenhederifolium‘Speedy Silver Rose’,Zones 5–9)tucked in among stodgy bowlder .

‘ Ever Red ’ laceleaf Japanese maple(Acerpalmatumvar.dissectum atropurpureum‘Ever Red’,Zones 5–8),planted in 1989 is the focal breaker point of the front garden . gamey pots mostly have‘Autumn Joy ’ sedum(Hylotelephium‘Herbstfreude’,Zones 3–10)and other sedum seedheads .

“ Welcome Garden ” peace pole with different view of the laceleaf Nipponese maple .

‘ Little Heath ’ lily - of - the - valley shrub(Pierisjaponica‘Little Heath’,Zones 5–9)in front of dwarf zebra grass(Miscanthussinensis‘Hinjo’,Zones 5–9)and‘Little Miss’maiden grass(M. sinensis‘Little Miss’,Zones 5–9)in the entry garden . ‘ Snowflake’oakleaf hydrangea(Hydrangea quercifolia‘Snowflake’,Zones 5–9)in upper right of photo is my favorite 4 - season shrub . The metal prickly pear sculpture by Desert Steel , seen between the 2 maiden grasses , is a visitant favorite .

The Seattle area has had a wetter , warm wintertime than usual so some of our perennials have pat of late people of colour : red blooms of Mexican cardinal flower(Lobelialaxiflora , Zones 7–11)in front of Ozark bluestar(Amsoniaillustris , Zones 5–9)stems which were leave for our aboriginal bee and wasp nests in the spring .

Colorful leaves ofheavenly bamboo(Nandina domestica‘Blush Pink’,Zones 6–9 ) .

Metal owls , byAbraxas Crow , guard the west front garden with variegated untrue holly(Osmanthus heterophyllus‘Goshiki’,Zones 6–9)on the left , Golden Sword yucca(Yucca filamentosa‘Golden Sword’,Zones 4–9)in front center and circle of brownish seedheads / stems throughout the garden layer .

halcyon English yew(Taxus baccata‘Standishii’,Zones 4–9)under the lamp post and Kanjiro camellia(Camelliasasanqua‘Kanjiro’,Zones 7–10)feeding the hummingbird .

Contorted Filbert catkins(Corylusavellana‘Contorta’,Zones 4–8)ready to spread - up with the first warmth of spring .

Thank you so much for another inspiring tour of your gardens , Cleo ! I can not begin to imagine the beauty we ’ll encounter when we finally get to see your blank space in its full natural spring and summer glory .

And one last note . A couplet of weeks ago , I inquired about the many GPODers who open up their gardens for local gardening groups and tours . Cleo is one of those gracious gardener and , as part of this compliance , let in this great greenback on gardening tours and why she loves participating in them :

You involve about citizenry who enter in garden tours . I enjoy to open up my garden for tours . It is so much fun to tattle to the visitant . I am a deadline person so having a target appointment really help me get the garden in tip - top shape . I have had tours for about 10 years with various horticulture formation . I also like decease on garden tours — I have learn so much , seen some amazing garden and cope with interesting citizenry .

What a motivating good word to the benefit of opening up your space to others , as well as joining these tours to see other inspiring space . If you ’ve been hesitant about share your garden before , allow Cleo ’s words serve as a generator of encouragement ! And if you ’re in the Bellevue , Washington area , keep your eye out for opportunities to see Cleo ’s incredible gardens in person .

Have photo to share ? We ’d sleep together to see your garden , a particular aggregation of plants you hump , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to travel to !

To render , send 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some information about the plants in the icon and where you took the photos . We ’d love to learn where you are locate , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are proud of , failures you learned from , hopes for the time to come , pet plants , or funny taradiddle from your garden .

Have a fluid headphone ? Tag your photos onFacebook , InstagramorTwitterwith # FineGardening !

bright green conifer next to camellia shrub with red flowers

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