December in the Garden
December is often regarded as a month where there is nothing to see in the garden, however, at Lakeside this is when the carefully placed evergreen shrubs are suddenly more noticeable. Winter foliage plants used to always be heathers and conifers, but with a little thought they can be far more interesting.
One shrub that always attracts a lot of attention is Nandina Domestica, originally from China and Japan its wood is sometimes used to make chopsticks. We grow it though for its attractive evergreen foliage which is green in summer and turns red in winter. White summer flowers are followed by bright red berries that last for up to a year.
Other favourite evergreens include Trochodendron aralioides a rare hardy shrub related to ivy, and Dapniphyllum macropodum, another uncommon shrub looking a little like a rhododendron with bright red leaf stalks!