Master Gardeners are part of a network of not-for-profit associations throughout North America. Members share a common interest – a passion for gardening and a willingness to share (at no cost) environmentally responsible gardening knowledge within their communities. Operating under the umbrella of the British Columbia Master Gardeners, the Thompson Shuswap Master Gardeners chapter was established in 2010 and its members have volunteered 10,000 plus hours throughout the Thompson-Shuswap region.

When you look at your flower garden in the fall / winter, have you ever considered taking an inventory of what plants you currently have that are great for visual interest? Plants that look good after the flowers have been long gone. Do you have plants that are a benefit to the wildlife that visits or lives in your garden during the coldest months? If you do then you have plants with winter interest. What makes a plant a good candidate? Some of the attributes are:

• Plants with seedheads / berries to feed hungry birds and other small wildlife
• Plants that will make great homes for wildlife
• Plants that are architecturally interesting now that their leaves and flowers are gone
• Evergreen plants that suddenly stand out on their own as a winter focal point

Leaving plants instead of cleaning up does not just benefit wildlife. It can also benefit you and your garden. Over the winter plants break down and add plant matter to feed the soil. While doing so they provide winter coverage for the soil and homes for wildlife. When spring arrives most of the plant matter will have already decayed leaving you with minimal to no cleanup.

Take a walk around your garden to see what plants you may already have. Take several pictures of your garden at regular intervals during the winter to see how your garden changes over the years. Doing this may help you to identify which plants fit the category of winter interest in your garden.

Leaving seedheads could result in bonus volunteer plants which come up in the spring. On the one hand, you may have to pull unwanted seedlings. On the other hand, you may want your patch of flowers to expand. You may also want to have seedlings that you can transplant to other areas of your garden or to give away to friends.

Beware if you have any plants that are listed as invasive. You may not want to leave these particular seedheads for the wildlife as the plants may become aggressive and overtake your garden.

When spring comes, buy plants not just for the flowers of spring, summer and fall, but also for the seedheads, the bark colours and textures, and for the interesting plant shapes. Pay particular attention to plant hardiness and the drought tolerance of each variety. These are the plants that will be there for you to enjoy next winter. Some good examples of winter interest plants are:

• Dogwoods and willows with red or yellow bark
• Tall and short vertical plants such as Mullein, Veronica, Salvia, Echinacea, Gaillardia
• Mounded plants such as Nepeta, Sweet Allysum
• Evergreens such as Bird’s Nest Spruce, Blue Spruce, Mugo Pine
• Architectural plants such as Sea Holly, Sunflowers, Cactus, Cardoon
• Ornamental grasses such as Fountain Grass, Little Bluestem, Blue Fescue, Feather Reed Grass
• Shrubs such as Rose, Barberry, Smoke Bush, Saskatoon

Getting ready for winter could be so much more than just the tasks we already have on our to-do lists. Things like:

• Making notes of which plants did well or did not do well and why
• Doing a final weeding followed by adding compost and mulch
• Cleaning, sharpening, and putting away our tools
• Stocking up on seeds, fertilizers, pots and trays for next year when we see them on sale in the fall/winter
• Cleaning the pots and trays that we already have and getting our greenhouses and garden sheds in order
• Making a list of seeds that we need for next year and getting an order in as early as possible
• If you are a notetaker, now is a good time to buy a new journal for next year

One of the best things about enjoying a winter garden is being able to look out the window on a cold and blustery day to admire plants from the warmth of your home. And to feel good about what you are seeing.

When a cactus grows in your garden without any help, listen to what it has to say.

Valerie Boyda is a Master Gardener with the Thompson Shuswap Master Gardeners. She lives west of Kamloops with her husband and two cats on the north shore of the Thompson River. She loves gardening, photography and fishing and has a keen interest in regenerative landscaping with native plants and trees