Winter Jewels

 

Tsuga canadensis 'MonKinn' Golden Duchess ™ (Eastern Hemlock)

The weather has been a bit wet and gloomy (with predictions of snow for next week) but there are some bright spots in the garden.  One of my favorites at the moment is this little hemlock called 'Golden Duchess'™. Every time I glance out the study window and look out into the front garden, it is the first plant I notice. When we got it at the nursery, it was inside the greenhouse and kind of a drab green, nothing like the photo on the label. After I planted it, in a mostly sunny spot, it brightened up and changed color in no time. The ultimate size is supposed to be around 4 x 4 feet.

Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb'

Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb' is a dwarf spruce that grows very slowly (only about 1 inch per year!), eventually reaching 1 ft. high.

Acer palmatum 'Bihou'

The Japanese Maple 'Bihou' just gets better and better and equals 'Sango Kaku' for its pretty winter bark. I bought this in quart-sized pot and it proves that smaller sized plants grow faster. That little slip of a plant, under 1 ft. tall, was planted in June of 2017 and is now almost 6 ft. tall. It is very narrow and I hope that it continues to grow that way.

 

Salix integra 'Hakuro Nishiki' (Dappled willow) with the just-mentioned Japanese Maple 'Bihou' in far background

A few more lovlies -

Pheasant's Tail Grass (Anemanthele lessoniana)

Mahonia 'Charity'

Vaccinium M. 'Stevens'

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy