Do away with the drab

Whenever anyone TALKS TO ME ABOUT LANDSCAPING, THEY ALMOST ALWAYS SAY THEY WANT TO HAVE COLOR IN THEIR LANDSCAPE ALL YEAR LONG. ALTHOUGH GREEN IS A COLOR, GREEN IS NOT PART OF THE PICTURE IN THEIR MIND'S EYE. THEY MEAN ORANGES, REDS, PURPLES, YELLOWS, ETC.

WITH THIS IN MIND, I AM LISTING SEVERAL PLANTS THAT YOU CAN PUT INTO YOUR LANDSCAPE THAT WILL PROVIDE COLOR, EVEN WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS DORMANT OR JUST GREEN. PERHAPS THESE IDEAS WILL ALLOW YOU TO GET THE COLOR YOU WANT IN YOUR LANDSCAPE YEAR-ROUND.

TO START WITH, I WANT TO MENTION PANSIES. I HAVE WRITTEN SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT PLANTING PANSIES IN THE FALL. THEY TAKE A LOT OF COLD, FREEZING, AND ICY WEATHER AND STILL HOLD THEIR BLOOMS HIGH. YOU FIND THEM IN YELLOWS, PURPLES, WHITES, BLUES AND COMBINATIONS OF THESE COLORS.

ANOTHER PLANT THAT GROWS UNDER CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO THAT OF PANSIES IS ORNAMENTAL CABBAGE AND KALE. THESE COLE CROPS COME IN WHITE, PURPLES, LAVENDERS AND COMBINATIONS. ALTHOUGH THEY WILL TAKE A LOT OF COLD WEATHER, I DO NOT THINK THEY ARE QUITE AS TOLERANT OF THE EXTREMES AS PANSIES. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU PUT THEM IN A SHELTERED LOCATION, YOU WILL FIND THAT THEY DO QUITE WELL.

IF ORANGE OR RED BERRIES SUIT YOUR FANCY TRY PLANTING SOME PYRACANTHA. ALTHOUGH IT HAS LOTS OF STICKERS, PYRACANTHA IS A GREAT CHOICE FOR LATE FALL AND WINTER COLOR. THEY ALSO MAKE GREAT HOMES FOR NESTING BIRDS IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER. BERRY COLOR WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE VARIETY THAT YOU PURCHASE.

IF YOU LIKE RED BERRIES, THEN PLANT SOME DECIDUOUS HOLLY OR POSSUMHAW IN YOUR LANDSCAPE. QUITE OFTEN THE BERRIES WILL PERSIST UNTIL LATE WINTER. I HAVE SEEN LOTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF CARDINALS PERCHING IN A POSSUMHAW FILLED WITH BERRIES THAT ARE COVERED WITH A WINTER'S COATING OF ICE. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.

OF COURSE DON'T FORGET ABOUT EVERGREEN HOLLIES SUCH AS FOSTER, CHINA, OR BLUES. THE BACKGROUND OF GREEN WITH RED BERRIES ALWAYS REMINDS ME OF CHRISTMAS. JUST REMEMBER WHEN PLANTING HOLLY, YOU MUST HAVE BOTH MALE AND FEMALE PLANTS IN ORDER TO PRODUCE BERRIES.

IF YOU LIKE ORANGE AND YELLOW FOLIAGE WITH ORANGE BERRIES PLANT NANDINA. THERE ARE SEVERAL VARIETIES ON THE MARKET, SUCH A STANDARD HEAVENLY BAMBOO, COMPACT NANDINA, AND HARBOR DWARF. IF YOU LIKE RICH CRIMSON RED, USE FIREPOWER NANDINA.

SINCE I AM PARTIAL TO BLUE GREENS, SOME ONE OF MY FAVORITE LANDSCAPE PLANTS ARE GRAFTED BLUE SPRUCES. IF YOU WANT A DEEP FOREST BLUE GREEN TRY A VARIETY CALLED "FAT ALBERT." DWARF BLUE SPRUCE ON A STANDARD, IS SMALLER AND FORMS A ROUND BALL, BUT HAS JUST AS PRONOUNCED FROSTY BLUE FOLIAGE.

IF YOU LIKE GOLD AND RUSTY BROWN COMBINATION, THEN PLANT RHINGOLD ARBORVITAE. IT STARTS OUT GROWING A LIME GREEN COLOR IN THE SPRING. THE FOLIAGE TURNS GOLD IN THE SUMMER AND FALL, AND THEN FINALLY IN THE WINTER TURNS A RUSTY BROWN. THEY ARE QUITE ATTRACTIVE.

ANOTHER ARBORVITAE THAT GIVES YOU YELLOW IS 'YELLOW RIBBON' ARBORVITAE. THIS VARIETY STAYS YELLOW ALL YEAR LONG, GROWS TO A HEIGHT OF ABOUT 8 TO 10 FEET, AND GROWS ABOUT 3 TO 5 FEET WIDE.

OF COURSE I HAVE ONLY TALKED ABOUT PLANTS SO FAR. THERE ARE OTHER GARDEN ART ITEMS THAT YOU MAY CONSIDER FOR YEAR-LONG COLOR, SUCH AS GAZING BALLS AND STATUETTES. THERE ARE A MYRIAD OF STYLES AND SIZES ON THE MARKET. JUST GO TO YOUR LOCAL GARDEN CENTER AND CHECK THEM OUT.

WHETHER YOU CHOOSE SOME SPECIAL SHRUB, PANSIES, OR YARD ART, COLOR IN THE LANDSCAPE IN THE WINTER IS A REAL POSSIBILITY.

Send your gardening and landscape questions to Paul Schnare at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699 or by e-mail to news@semissourian.com.