While winter is the farthest thing from most gardener's minds (though Mother Nature keeps firmly reminding us of its persistence this year), an attractive landscape requires careful planning for seasonal interest throughout the year. Since the Iowa landscape is dormant 4 to 6 months of the year, extending the attractiveness of the landscape and garden into the fall and winter can help make our winters a little more bearable. Winter gardening doesn't use the flowers and fragrances of summer gardening. Instead a variety of plants are used to add shape, color and texture to create eye-catching displays.

Evergreen trees and shrubs with various shades of greens and blues and interesting shapes are staples of many winter landscapes. Deciduous trees with interesting bark characteristics like paperbark maple or unusual branching habits like pagoda dogwood can also aid in providing winter charm.

Many herbaceous perennials also have interesting fall and winter appeal. Some have foliage like bergenia which turns maroon with the onset of cold temperatures. The foliage of grape-hyacinth emerges late in the season and persists through winter. Perennials like Achillea overwinter with a rosette of foliage close to the ground. Lavender, sage, thyme and other herbs hold their foliage late in the season. Yucca plants possess a unique character especially after a snowfall. Some ornamental grasses are grown specifically for their attractive seedheads in the winter.

The following list contains additional perennial suggestions for winter gardens.

Bugleweed	Ajuga reptans
Rock Cress	Arabis caucasica
European Wild Ginger	Asarum europaeum
Sea Thrift	Armeria maritima
Basket-of-Gold	Aurinia saxatilis
Bergenia	Bergenia spp.
Snow-in-Summer	Cerastium tomentosum
Barrenwort	Epimedium spp.
Lenten Rose	Helleborus orientalis
Coral Bells	Heuchera spp.
Evergreen Candytuft	Iberis sempervirens
Spotted Dead Nettle	Lamium maculatum
Moss Phlox	Phlox subulata
Bethlehem Sage	Pulmonaria spp.
Autumn Joy sedum	Sedum x 'Autumn Joy'
Stonecrop Sedum	Sedum spectabile
Lamb's Ears	Stachys byzantina
Foam Flower	Tiarella cordifolia

Grasses with winter interest

Feather Reed Grass	Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
Fall Blooming Reed Grass	Calamagrostis brachytricha
Giant Miscanthus	Miscanthus floridulus
Small Japanese Silver Grass	Miscanthus oligostachyus
Chinese Silver Grass	Miscanthus sacchariflorus
Silverfeather Miscanthus	Miscanthus sinensis 'Siberfedher'
Moor Grass	Molinia caerulea (all cultivars)
Switch Grass	Panicum virgatum
Red Switch Grass	Panicum virgatum 'Haense Herms','Rotstrahlbusch','Rehbraun'
Fountain Grass	Pennisetum alopecuroides
Little Bluestem	Schizachyrium scoparium
Cord Grass	Spartina pectinata
Variegated Cord Grass	Spartina pectinata ''Aureomarginata'
Prairie Dropseed	Sporobolus heterolepsis

Ferns with attractive winter appeal

Ebony Spleenwort	Asplenium platyneuron
Marginal Shield Fern	Dryopteris marginalis
Christmas Fern	Polystichum acrostichoides

Most people desire a colorful landscape throughout the year. Thoughtful planning and careful consideration of various trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants can provide year round garden interest.

This article originally appeared in the April 5, 1996 issue, pp. 1996 issue, pp. 46-47.