I often tell gardeners in our region to rediscover their “Evergreen State”, which (in a play on words) simply means to show some gardening style with the structure, texture and color of conifers. Around here nature has the many shades of green covered, but how about some bold blues and bright yellows? When all of the deciduous shrubs and trees have shed their foliage and the perennials have died back for the winter, what is left in your garden? A variety of evergreen, broadleaved shrubs and a mix of cool coniferous creatures can easily add some visual excitement to your landscape in the dormant winter season.
Conifers always slide into my focus as we get into the swing of the holiday season. That sweet smell of cedar garland, the scents of the wreath on the door, and for many, the fragrance of the Christmas tree in the house, are all scent-imental. Everything in the conifer world, including big stately giants, colorful little dwarfs, interesting weeping varieties full of character and tidy columnar accents, exemplify worthy selections that can be fit into many niches in any garden and also be used in holiday decorations.
Many garden centers, including Sunnyside Nursery, offer wreath-making activities through the holiday season. Not only is this a great way to spend some fun times with family, friends and co-workers, but it will also open your eyes to some wonderful conifers and winter interest plants. I can only speak for us at Sunnyside, but we hand-prune and collect a range of foliage for use in holiday wreaths. These are all plants that grow well here and can be planted in local landscapes. Year after year I witness our patrons in awe of many of the options, surprised to realize that they can have them growing in their very own garden oasis. There is always Douglas Fir or Western Red Cedar, but traditionally, natives like Noble Fir (Abies procera) and/or Pacific Silver Fir (Abies amabalis) form the backbone of most wreaths. To me it is always about the accents, the thrill if you will, as many of the more popular conifers in our wreath room add that WOW factor to both wreaths and the garden with their colors and textures.
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens): Yes that is right, the Californian giant grows here, although not nearly as large as we see in Redwood National Park. In the landscape they mature into tall, stately specimens, but in the wreath room their branch tips have lovely structure and excellent blue to green to silver color tones. Another close relative is the Giant Sequoia (Sequoia giganteum), equally as cool but with a much broader growing habit for hot, dry spots.
Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica): There are many good Japanese Cedars, all with unique rope-like foliage and varying colors, depending on the variety. For some yellow, seek a taller grower like ‘Sekkan Sugi’ - this may be the single most popular wreath material here at Sunnyside. Perhaps go bolder with a large-growing variety called ‘Elegans’, the Plume Japanese Cedar, with intricate feathery foliage and striking rusty-red winter color.
Staghorn Cedar (Thujopsis dolobrata): This native to Japan is very cool, and underused in our area, with cedar-like foliage exhibiting intricate patterns of silver on the undersides. These deer-proof beauties are bushy and upright in the landscape, available in dwarf form, and make lovely accents to any wreath. Sounds funny, but branches like these are often tucked into wreaths upside down to highlight the silver accents.
Variegated Cedar (Thuja plicata cvs.): Think of our native Western Red Cedar but add some serious yellow variegation on the foliage and you have a conifer that really pops, in both the garden and on a wreath. These add texture, fragrance and color, and make excellent taller specimens or screens in the landscape. A couple good cultivars are ‘Extra Gold’, ‘Zebrina', and ‘Ember Waves’, which almost gets an orangey-yellow glow in the winter months.
Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika): When it comes to uniformity in habit and a combination of blue/green/silver color, not much beats these. They are fairly narrow in the garden (and thus provide height with a smaller footprint or “skirt” as I call it) and very bug resistant in our climate, for a spruce. In the wreath room they add both color and a stiffer needle to wreaths, mixing nicely with the greens of Noble and Pacific Fir.
Arizona Cypress (Cupresses glabra): Now here is some serious blue! The powdery blue color and unusual texture make it a wonderful large, landscape specimen, and the branches pop in any wreath. These need great drainage, prefer full, open sun and represent the pinnacle of drought tolerance in the garden.
Junipers (Juniperus sp.): Yes I said Juniper, and yes there are some good ones to plant in the landscape. There are many green, silver, blue or yellow foliage options, offering various growth habits for the garden, from low and shrubby to upright. Ones with nice “berries” are even more interesting in wreaths. Don’t picture the 1970’s rat nest Juniper, please. There are now better, modern varieties available, and they love sun and are both low maintenance and super drought tolerant.
Siberian Cypress (Microbiota decussata): First, you guessed it… super cold hardy! These provide a lovely, low-spreading shape in sunny or shady garden locales. What makes these fun for wreaths is the winter color, I call it “winter chocolate” – not a dead-looking brown but rather a lovely purplish-brown that turns back to green come springtime.
I could go on and on about cool conifers and other worthy plants for both the yard and wreath making, as my list could easily highlight another twenty conifers, at minimum. Look around your yard and see the possibilities, then investigate to see if the foliage is a good wreath-making choice and if it will last. Treating your wreath with a natural preservative will help extend its life and freshness, and also allow you to mix in some fun broadleaved landscape goodies; like Oregon Grape (Mahonia), Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina), Scotch Heather (Calluna), Holly (Ilex), Lily of the Valley (Pieris), and many others. Add in some cool berries, rose hips, twig dogwood tips and/or curly willow and you have your own homemade, stylish, signature wreath.
Now that the holidays are upon us, it is time to slide into holiday mode and get your wreath on. Skip the boring cookie-cutter wreaths that can be found anywhere, and make yourself your very own unique one. The Sunnyside Nursery experts that are stationed in our wreath rooms are here to teach you how and offer any assistance needed, ensuring your success. Your homemade creation will hang nicely on the front door, bringing joyous smiles to all that visit and would surely make Martha Stewart proud.
