Winter Interest: The Sun Plants

Wandering around the garden this week it became obvious that now is the time of year when the evergreen shrubs pay the rent. The larger picture is beginning to take shape as they grow a little larger each season, making it feel almost lush for late January around here. We like that! Stuff to look at mid-winter? Yes, please!

So, as I was gifted a new camera for my Big Birthday from Facilities Manager, one I know very little about (so far), I took it for a test drive on a dry day, drawn to what looks good right now. Since I took a billion photos, we'll break them up into winter interest plants for sun this week, saving the shade lovers for next time. Here are some outstanding performers at Chickadee Gardens to show what does well here in zone 7b outside of Portland, Oregon, that also look good year-round.

This lovely manzanita is Arctostaphylos pumila. Endemic to the California coast in the Monterey Bay region, it is a low-grower at about 2' x 5'. We'll visit a few more manzanitas a little later as I have many throughout the garden.

Not always reliably evergreen, this Melianthus major or honeybush has been fantastic this winter and last. At its feet is Ceanothus gloriosus 'Point Reyes', another low, spreading evergreen shrub.

Ozothamnus 'Sussex Silver' from New Zealand. It reaches about 4-6' tall by 3-4' wide and is a relatively fast-grower. Definitely lending a silver glow to the garden, it has been a favorite.

There are many hebes in my garden. Here I will share just two, only because they are what I happened to photograph. Pictured is Hebe 'New Zealand Gold'. I love this particular cultivar because it has been super hardy in the gardens at Joy Creek Nursery and has a lovely rounded habit.

Hebe odora (anomala) 'Purpurea'. This too has been very hardy and has tiny leaves. New growth is purple, it is suggested that it gets pruned to keep it compact as well as keep the new purple growth coming on.

Rhamnus alaternus 'Variegata' - it has finally put on a bunch of new growth. Such a gorgeous shrub, it takes well to pruning, which I may have to do as it reaches 10' or more. I have heard it can be used as a privacy hedge, attesting to its hardy nature. Would make great cut foliage for decoration.

In the foreground is another Ozothamnus - but a different cultivar 'Silver Jubilee'. While the sedum in the center of the photo are not evergreen shrubs of course, they are plants with winter interest.

Leptospermum lanigerum 'Silver Form' - tea tree. At about 6' tall and with a fairly airy habit, this tiny-leaved hardy beauty is easy for me to tuck into a couple places in the garden.

Oh, so much going on here. Prostrate rosemary in the foreground that hasn't done much, a few Agave neomexicana, a couple Cistus 'Paper Moon', a floppy Opuntia noid, a Convulvulus cneorum, Erica or winter heath and the little seedlings surrounding the heath on the left are the annual native wildflower Limnanthes douglasii or Douglas' meadowfoam. Everything else listed is evergreen.

Brachyglottis greyi, a fuzzy leaved cheerful shrub that reaches about 4' high. Mine is only about 2 or so feet, but it's on its way. While it has yellow daisy-like flowers, I don't care for them and tend to cut them off. I'm a foliage lover.

Arctostaphylos or manzanitas - here are a few in the garden:

A two-year-old Arctostaphylos 'Saint Helena' at about 3' high. I have another that is nearly 4 years old and it is easily 7' tall. 

Arctostaphylos x densiflora 'Harmony' growing in a weird form, but that's ok. It should reach about 6' or so in height.

Arctostaphylos x densiflora 'Sentinel', bought as a small, quart-sized plant has put on a couple of feet of growth. It will reach about 7 - 8' when mature.

Arctostaphylos silvicola or ghost manzanita, another from the Monterey Bay area. 

A rugged Ceanothus cuneatus 'Adair Village', I love that upright vase shape. With white flowers and a bit of a Mediterranean look, this tough native to the West Coast gets zero supplemental water. It was recommended by Xera Plants and I'm thrilled I have two in the garden.

This Callistemon sieberi was picked out by Facilities Manager at Cistus Nursery in 2013. It was moved from the old garden to this one and although a little slow to take off, it's finally in enough sun. It has a wild and woolly look that suits this garden fine. It can be pruned to shape it.

From Australia, the Tasmanian mountain pepper bush, Drimys lancelota, has been hardy for us in the Northwest. It is slow growing but I'm hopeful it will take off this year. It is not especially drought tolerant but keep it in a sheltered site and it should survive with enough water.

Morella californica (syn. Myrica californica) or California wax myrtle, a native with aromatic leaves when crushed, is also an evergreen shrub that takes well to pruning. At 10' or so at maturity, it makes a nice addition to my mixed woodland setting where few other larger plants are evergreen.

Another tea tree, this is Leptospermum grandiflorum. More columnar in habit at about 10' x 3', this is another super hardy form.

Agave parryi var. truncata, a.k.a. Oscar. He's a great "ever silver" addition to the garden. Let's hope it stays that way!

Although not entirely hardy for most, I've had incredible luck with Grevillea lanigera 'Coastal Gem'. It only recently started blooming for me and I've had this since about 2014. Purchased from Little Prince of Oregon.

Stipa gigantea flower heads, while not evergreen, are still interesting and the basal foliage is evergreen. A stunning grass if you have room for it.

It's a variety pack! Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata' in the foreground and center left, Hebe 'Karo Golden Esk', then Callistemon pityoides 'Mt. Kosciuszko', then another Arctostaphylos 'Saint Helena' top center.

I leave Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition' standing though winter.

Cupressus macrocarpa 'Golden Pillar', gifts from a nurseryman friend of mine, have put on a lot of new growth and are doing quite well.

The same friend gifted me this special golden version of an Arizona cypress.

Even the old oak tree, Quercus garryana or Oregon white oak is spectacular in winter. Its gnarled old branches covered in lichen and mosses is a very popular tree with the birds, squirrels and I'm certain countless insects. In fact, I think it supports more life forms than just about any other plant in this part of the world. From the local Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation website: 

Over 200 wildlife species and hundreds of insects species, including many pollinator species, are associated with Oregon white oak. Acorns, leaves from the oak trees, and the many invertebrates that make their homes in oak trees, provide a multitude of food resources for wildlife. Additionally, the trees provide excellent nesting, roosting, resting, perching, and denning sites for wildlife species including raptors, woodpeckers, owls, songbirds, deer squirrels, shrews, snakes, salamanders, and frogs. The Oregon State bird, the western meadowlark, is also associated with Oregon white oak savanna! Some of the species associated with Oregon white oak are imperiled, including western gray squirrel and slender-billed nuthatch.

The beauty alone is reason enough to encourage these trees, it is my favorite on our property.

I hope you have enjoyed a sampling of some fantastic plants for winter interest, specifically for sunny sites. While not every one is evergreen, all have strong bones and presence in the winter garden as well as looking fantastic year-round. Shrubs set off those perennials and other colorful bits in the garden, and don't forget how fabulous fall color plays against them. I also thank FM from the bottom of my heart for the amazing gift of a new camera. You leave me speechless. What a man.

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting and until next time, happy gardening!