What looks good now in Vancouver? pt 3

Some plants have colour that is enhanced by winter's cold weather.  

The bright red bark of the Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' gets brighter and redder with cold temperatures and exposure to the winter sun.   The vibrant red whips of branches contrast beautifully with dark greens in a winter garden.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'

Similarly, the reds of our native Cornus sericea (Red Osier Dogwood, Red Twigged Dogwood) branches are more striking with the winter cold.   These shrubs can withstand most garden conditions from wet to dry, and good to bad soils.  The deciduous leaves can be variegated white or plain green as shown here.  The umbrels of white flowers turn to blue berries in summer.

The C. sericea can grow into a full tree, or can be kept as a 3' shrub if old wood is removed every 2-3 years in spring.  Removing old wood encourages the plant to send off new red whips from the base.  The new growth will also have the brightest red colour.

Cornus sericea

The Cornus sericea species also come with yellow bark.  

Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'

What's blooming now in Vancouver? pt 1

Spring is officially here so I thought I would post some photographs of plants blooming in a Vancouver garden at the start of spring.

Oemleria cerasiformis flowers

Oemleria cerasiformis

Oemleria cerasiformis berries

The first three photos show Oemleria cerasiformis, or Indian Plum, a Vancouver native deciduous shrub.  Oemleria are one of the first blooming plants of the year.  This shrub is an understorey shrub.  Being an understorey shrub means it likes to grow under taller trees, which in turn means it does not like to be exposed to full sun.  Masses of Oemleria grow wild along 4th Ave, by Jericho Park.  The pretty white flowers become plum shaped berries.

Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis

The fourth photo shows Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis, or Dwarf Sweet Box,  behind a Heuchera.  Sarcococca are low, evergreen shrubs with tiny white, but heavily scented flowers.  Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis, Sarcococca confusa and Sarcococca ruscifolia are all varieties of the same genus plant.  S. hookeriana var. humilis is smaller and tidier than the other two varieties so I prefer this one.  

All Sarcococca grow in shade to part shade, and their roots sucker.  Their leaves are glossy dark green and lance shaped.   These shrubs are not remarkable enough to be a specimen plant, but form an attractive background to other plants.  They are also useful fillers for dark corners.  Don't let them dry out.

Sarcococca flowers are insignificant, but strongly scented in February/March.  For this reason, Sarcococca are a lovely addition to a garden in Vancouver come the bleak, grey, rainy days of February and March.  Place them somewhere along the path most used in winter.  Their scent easily travels 10 feet, and is a pleasant surprise in the winter.