“Vertical forms are focal points, obviously, but they can be used in many different ways,” says Leach. “They stop your eye or allow you to look past them. They can subdivide space and make a small space seem larger. They’re very dynamic in terms of design.” However, there is one place Leach cautions not to place a strong vertical form: Next to the corner of the house. “They need to be their own, so their own silhouette is striking,” he says.
3. Choose plants for their”‘enduring remnants.”
As gardeners move away from overzealous “fall cleanup,” they’ll discover the beauty of the remains of summer-flowering perennial. Among the “enduring remnants” that have presence in the winter garden, Leach highlights the six-foot-tall candelabras of Olympic mullein (Verbascum olympicum) and Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum), a smaller herbaceous perennial with woody flower stems that support candelabra spikes, and showy stonecrop (Hylotelephium spectabile), whose flat, umbel flowers become attractive flat, brown disks that collect snow. As a bonus, Leach points out that spent flower heads provide food, and stems and leaves offer shelter for beneficial insects and pollinators.
4. Let witch hazel enchant you.
“Witch hazels are so underused,” says Leach. He encourages gardeners to explore the many varieties, including our native American witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.) and the Asian witch hazels, like Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ or ‘Jelena.‘ “Witch hazels are these wonderful plants that bloom for months, but there are so few of them,” laments Leach. “I tell the garden clubs it’s their responsibility to plant one in a public library, a post office, or some public space.” A versatile understory tree, Leach notes that witch hazels will grow in anything from full sun to partial shade, but like any flowering plant more sun equals more blooms.
