Seeing Red Over the Holidays
 
      Everyone knows that the traditional holiday colors are red and green.  What you may not know is that red and green are on opposite sides of the color wheel and are considered complementary colors.  When complementary colors are paired together, they create a great deal of visual contrast and interest.  Fortunately, for gardeners in Tidewater, finding green in the winter garden is easy, but finding red can be more difficult.  
 
     Perhaps the easiest red to find in the winter garden is from berries, and Hollies are a good place to start.  If you are looking for something on the tall side, 'Nellie R. Stevens' and 'Foster' Hollies are both self-fruitful and provide a reliable supply of red every year.  Both of these can get about 20' tall, but if this is too tall for your garden, you may want to consider 'Burford' or 'Needlepoint' Holly.  These each get about 10-12' tall, while  'Dwarf Burford' will get about 5-6' tall.  All three are good berry producers, and you can use them for holiday decorating as well.  
 
     An unusual source for red in the winter garden is from the fruit of Poet's Laurel (Danae racemosa), which begins ripening in late fall.  This choice evergreen shrub is actually related to Asparagus and is a great plant for shaded parts of the garden.  Many of my customers who arrange flowers like this plant for the dark green foliage that will last a very long time in a vase.   A more common plant with red berries is Nandina.  This flexible shrub is one of the easiest to grow and not only has attractive fruit, but it has white spring flowers and evergreen foliage.  In fact, if Nandina is given enough sun, the foliage also turns a rich red in the winter.  One variety of Nandina that is famous for its winter color is 'Firepower', and unlike other Nandinas this one will not flower or produce fruit.  'Firepower' is a staple of the strip mall landscape and is one tough plant.  It only gets about 2' tall and wide and rarely needs pruning.  Its foliage is a brilliant red from November to April.
 
     Finding flowers that bloom outside in the winter is not as difficult as you may think, but finding red blossoms may be trickier.  One aptly named evergreen that has red blooms is the 'Yuletide' Camellia.  This is one of my favorite fall blooming Camellias, not only for its true red color but because it is in full bloom during the month of December.  Give 'Yuletide' plenty of room as this is one of the larger varieties and can easily exceed 10' tall.  Another red winter flower comes from the Pansies, which are also available in just about every other color imaginable.  A couple of good red varieties are 'Delta Red', 'Delta Red with Blotch' and 'Majestic Giant Red'.  For the holidays you can mix these in a container with a small evergreen like a Dwarf Alberta Spruce.  If you are feeling especially festive, you can even string tiny white lights on the Spruce.  The combination of the lights, the colorful pansies and the cool blue-green foliage on a miniature Christmas tree will make you glad to see red over the holidays.
 
Les Parks