Regional Picks: Four Season Interest – Northwest

1. Strawberry Tree

Name:Arbutus unedo

USDA Hardiness Zones:8 to 11

Size:15 to 20 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide

condition : Full sunshine to fond shade ; well - drain dirt

A smaller relative of our aboriginal madrone ( Arbutus menziesii , Zones 7–9 ) , the strawberry Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree carries bunches of 1 - inch - wide orange and ruddy yield in fall . Do n’t be mislead : The “ hemangioma simplex ” here are an acquire taste sensation — at best — but they are a feast for the center . Clusters of modest urn - shape white blossom join in the recent - time of year show . This unique display is position against narrow evergreen leaves on gnarled branch .

2. ‘Firefly’ Heather

Name:Calluna vulgaris‘Firefly’

Zones:4 to 7

Size:15 to 20 inches tall and 2 to 3 metrical foot wide

Conditions : Full sun ; well - drained soil

Winter deals us a lot of Louis Harold Gray in the Northwest . We , as luck would have it , have plants like ‘ Firefly ’ heather to dissipate the gloominess . petite scaly leave of absence give a soft wispiness to its upturned branches , which knit together beautifully in a aggregate planting . The summer foliation of this plant is a intense linden green , accented with long spray of tiny Battle of Magenta flush in July and August . Then the grown show begins : Cool fall temperatures turn the foliage to a fiery orange - red , a heartwarming glow that lasts into spring . Heathers are naturals for gay slopes and around stone .

3. ‘Silver Dollar’ Hebe

Name:Hebe‘Silver Dollar’

Zones:8 to 11

Size:2 foot tall and broad

Conditions : Full sun to light shade ; well - drain soil

The ‘ Silver Dollar ’ hebe by my front step puts a smile on my face every fourth dimension I come in home , especially in wintertime . In that dark season , its small blue - gray leave are blushed with bright pink along the edges . In the warm months , the security deposit fade to creamy whitened as scant clusters of lilac - purplish flowers grace the ends of the plant ’s neat branches . Recent risky winter have hurt some hebes , but ‘ Silver Dollar ’ has shrugged them off . Mine makes a happy scene with maroon and variegated sedge ( Carexspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) and dreary irises ( Irisspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) .

4. Variegated Laurustinus

Name:Viburnum tinus‘Variegatum’

Zones:8 to 10

Size:6 to 8 feet grandiloquent and 5 to 8 feet broad

Laurustinus is an old understudy in landscapes of the Northwest , but the motley one is still all too scarce . Leathery , oval , 2- to 3 - inch - long leaves give this drouth - hardy evergreen a full figure . Starting in fall , cluster of pink bud exposed into fragrant lily-white prime that work up through wintertime to a spring orgasm . metal blue berry follow , often hold on until the next anthesis season . To this all - yr show , the variegated laurustinus adds bold creamy leaf margins .

Michael Lee is a landscape architect and nursery possessor in Seattle , Washington .

picture : ( # 1 ) , www.millettephotomedia.com ; ( # 2 ) , Bill Johnson ; ( # 3 ) , www.visionspictures.com ; ( # 4 ) , Courtesy of Rainy Side Gardeners

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Regional Picks: Four Season Interest - Northeast

Regional Picks: Four Season Interest - Midwest

Regional Picks: Four Season Interest - Southern Plains

Regional Picks: Four Season Interest - Northern Plains

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