Brian Minter: 3 plants to keep your garden colourful this winter
These vibrant plants will keep your garden looking beautiful — and make some birds happy too
If October's 28 days of rainfall wasn't a clear sign, master gardener Brian Minter has a strong warning for you: winter is coming.
But that doesn't mean your garden should suffer — and nor should the birds who like to visit.
"I think honestly, we've been a little bit selfish with our gardens," Minter told host Gloria Macarenko on CBC's BC Almanac.
"[The winter] is about injecting some colour but not only for us — for the birds."
Minter says the winter is a good time to look out for our feathered friends by keeping them fed throughout the winter. As it turns out, there's some fruitful plants that will make them happy — and keep your garden looking great.
1. Winterberry
It might be too early to sing "deck the halls with boughs of holly," but it's not to early to plant them.
The deciduous holly — also known as the winterberry — is known for flaunting bright red berries in the winter through to the early spring.
Minter says it's becoming the go-to winter plant across the province, and yields gorgeous results — but it will take a bit of work.
"Don't just buy the girl with the berries on it, you need the guy too — you need to male pollinate if you're going to buy one to make sure you have lots of berries for the birds," he said.
2. Snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus. or the common snowberry, are also great to add colour to the garden. The shrubs are traditionally known for their white bulbs and berries. The berries begin growing in the fall and last well into winter.
And Minter says you can even find snowberry shrubs in different colours, including red and pink. And the birds love them.
Generally, snowberry shrubs grow roughly one metre tall and 1.8 metres wide, but plant them a little further apart.
3. Firethorn
If you're looking to heat things up in your garden, try the Pyracantha — also known as the firethorn.
"It's the security plant of choice right now," said Minter. "It's beautiful."
The firethorn flowers from spring to mid-summer, but it produces red, yellow or orange berries in autumn and winter, making it a highly attractive shrub to showcase in the garden all year round.
Keep in mind, firethorns can grow upwards of three metres tall.
With files from CBC's BC Almanac
To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: Master gardener Brian Minter on how to keep your garden colourful this fall and winter