In so many areas of the country, particularly in the North, Winter can be dreary in the garden. Interest is derived from twiggy and grassy texture, colored dogwood twigs, foliage variations, berries and the lovely peeling bark of some trees. Here in the Pacific Northwest we do have plants that bloom in the winter. Our winters are soggy and wet but they are usually mild in temperature. Many of us tend to ignore our gardens in the Winter. Add a winter- blooming plant on the path where you travel to your door or outside your windows. Many of these plants attract winter migrating hummingbirds at a time when they need nectar the most. On warmer days the hibernating bees will wake up to gather pollen. But don’t be fooled with the birds and the bees. We have a way to go until Spring.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’ 
Sarcococa rusifolia’s tiny but fragrant flowers 
This Helleborus orientalis just beginning to open 
Helleborus X sternii 
Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is fragrant 
Camellia sasanqua ‘Chasonette’ 
Mahonia X ‘Winter Star’ blooms are very fragrant
Donna Giguere Landscape Design 