We have had some wet weather recently – but this weekend the temps are expected to get close to 80 degrees! The second weekend in October! At home – we were missed by the frost from mid-September and our annuals are still looking great – however, we will be into winter before we know it. We will then experience about 6 months of a flowerless landscape.

Add color and texture to your winter landscape with ornamental grasses, dogwoods with bright colored twigs in the wintertime, evergreen trees, flowering crabs with persistent fruit, shrubs with berries – (winterberry, cranberries & viburnums) hydrangea with their dried flower stalks, the potential list is endless.

In our meadow at home we have a planting of Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass which is about one of the best ornamental grasses you will find. It handles the weight of the heavy frost and snow and “pops” right back up. It is set right in front a large planting of dogwoods. We have the red-twigged dogwood, Arctic Fire dogwood, Garden Glow Dogwood, and Red Osier Dogwood all planted in this area. The various colors of red and orange of the stems of the dogwood is awesome in the winter – especially later in the day when the sun is lower and shines through the branches.

These plants combined with evergreens, crabapples and the oaks which hang onto their leaves most of the winter really add a special look to what would be a dull winter scene.

The fall sale is still going on so think about winter interest and plan a special area to add some plants to yet this fall!