COLD COMFORT

A gardening books author has suggestions that let you warm to the idea of winter landscaping

BY TAMMIE SMITH

Richmond Times-Dispatch

It's not just Northeasterners, overwhelmed by 50-plus inches of snow, who might be weary ofwinter weather.

Landscapes that are various shades of uninspiring brown can be a real downer no matter where you are.

Horticulturist Vincent A. Simeone thinks gardeners are too quick to write off the winter landscape as inevitably dismal, resigning themselves to not being able to do much about it.

"The winter landscape is something ... that I think is underappreciated," said Simeone, speakingat a recent Virginia Horticultural Foundation program in Virginia Beach.

Simeone, director of the 409-acre Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay, N.Y., is also author of several gardening books, including "Wonders of the Winter Landscape."

Despite recent rough spots, such as the so-called snowpocalypse that dumped more than 20inches of snow in New York in late December, "The winter landscape really is a beautiful time and can be in your own landscape," Simeone said.

He drew "oohs" and "ahs" from the audience as he illustrated his talk with photographs from his book. In the images, splashes of color are provided by variegated foliage, tree limbs lined with bouquets of berries and evergreens with a tint of chartreuse.

"Whether it's looking at it from the bay window or the front door, or going out into the garden trudging in 18 inches of snow, there are a lot of things that can enhance the winter landscape," he said.

Winter's tendency to strip nature down to its essence, he said, means much of the beauty will be in the finer details.

"You begin to appreciate plant growth habit a lot more in the winter. The beautiful Japanese maple that has that nice gnarled growth habit. You get to enjoy that a lot more in winter months."

Or take tree bark. Trees with exfoliating or peeling park can, under the right conditions, provide some horticultural eye candy.

"I had a non-horticultural employee come to me and say, 'I love that army tree outside.' Army tree, what are you talking about?" Simeone recalled asking. With a little probing he figured out the employee was referring to a Cornus kousa dogwood with peeling bark in shades of brown, tan and green that looked like camouflage.