Easy 4-Step Winter Planter

This winter planter is basically a contrast of burgundy and gold foliar tones. A young Nandina ‘Sienna Sunrise’ adds height and a bamboo-like texture, while the glossy burgundy leaves of Leucothoe ‘Scarletta’ are front and center. These are nicely contrasted by Heuchera ‘Electra’ and the arching evergreen foliage of the sedge Carex ‘Evergold’.

Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’ (syn. Carex hachijoensis) – This RHS Award of Garden Merit winner works well in pond-side plantings or as accents in containers. They form dense clumping mounds of arching green leaves with a contrasting golden-yellow stripe. ‘Evergold’ produces insignificant brown flowers and is reliably evergreen in coastal BC. Grows 8-10″ high by 12-18″. Zone 5.

Leucothoe fontanesiana ‘Scarletta’ (syn. ‘Zeblid’) – Imagine if you could have autumn foliar colour right through the winter – it may sound too good to be true, but this broadleaf evergreen delivers. ‘Scarletta’ has attractive lance-shaped leaves that emerge scarlet-tinted, mature green and then shift to a burgundy-red from fall through winter. Grows 18-24″ high by 3′ wide . Hardy to zone 5.

Heuchera ‘Electra’ – A villosa hybrid with large leaves that emerge an electric yellow with sharply contrasting red veining. These shift to chartreuse as the season progresses, with the winter foliage being a tan colour. Small white flowers are borne midsummer but it is the bright foliage that adds much needed contrast to container plantings. Grows 8-12″ high by 12-14″.

Nandina ‘Sienna Sunrise’ (syn. ‘Monfar’) – This medium-sized cultivar has a narrow upright growth habit and rarely sets flowers. The fine-textured new growth has fiery red highlights, changing to green in summer and back to a burgundy-red in fall and winter. It is reliably evergreen in coastal BC and works well in containers. Grows 3 to 4′ high by 2′ wide. Hardy to zone 6.