The winter garden of Napa county can be anything but bleak and forgotten. With a little planning and effort, the winter garden can be a colorful, healthy foundation for a beautiful and bountiful year. The Napa County Master Gardeners have all kinds of ideas for keeping a garden thriving and creating color and interest.

The biggest challenge during the cold season is the moisture content of the ground, said Jo Moore, a professional landscaper and master gardener. "It's wise not to step on the wet soil of gardening beds. It compacts the soil. But anything can be grown in containers."

Choices abound for for garden color. Camellias, which do well in Napa County, bloom from early winter through spring. Azaleas can start blooming as early as December and January but February through April is the norm.

Cool season deciduous shrubs include the coral to salmon-colored quince, which usually blooms in February. Still larger are the witch hazels, either a tall shrub or smaller tree. In the winter the Chinese witch hazel in particular is festooned with fragrant yellow-toned blossoms. The magnolia, frequently referred to as a "tulip tree," is like an enormous bouquet of creamy mauve flowers in late winter. The star magnolia is also a prolific cool season bloomer.

Other evergreen and perennial options include rosemary with its blue blossoms; the yellow daisy-like euryops, and pyracantha with its red berries. Dahpne, a humble looking evergreen shrub, has intensely fragrant clusters of pinky-cream blossoms. Calluna or true Scotch heather produces a profusion of tiny pink blooms. Hardenbergia or the lilac vine provides spikes of purple flowers. Iberis or candytuft has small clusters of white flowers. The campanula or bell flower has blue flowers shaped like bells resting on a bed of its heart shaped leaves.

Primroses and primulas, in a spectrum of hues, are often the first to appear in nurseries. Other old time favorites for the winter garden include snapdragons and spicy scented stock. Violas, or pansies, are a cool season standard of the Victorian days as is the sweet violet with its heart shaped leaves and demurely scented purple flower -- a Victorian Valentine's Day icon. The Iceland poppy, stretching up to a foot or taller in height above its sage green leafy base, has red, orange, salmon, yellow and white blossoms.

Of the heart-shaped plants, Dicentra or bleeding heart provides showy pink blooms with fern-like foliage. Another heart-shaped leafed plant is the cyclamen with its exotic looking flowers of whites, reds, pinks or purples.

"Color can also be added with a variety of green colors." said Master Gardener Lynne Andresen. "There are an array of grasses such as flax that can add a whole lot of color and interest to the winter garden."

A great source of winter time color is the flowering bulb, now coming into season. Some of the earliest bloomers are from the Narcissus family, white narcissus, frequently called paper-whites, and its cheerful cousin the daffodil. Another early bloomer is the crocus. The mid-winter muscari, commonly known as grape hyacinth, has fairly long lasting spikes of blue, purple or white tone flowers. A new hybrid named "Fantasy Creation" muscari has compact spikes of green and purple flowers. And, of course, the quintessential flowering bulb, the tulip, blooms later -- early to late spring.

In addition to being colorfully ornamental, the winter garden can also provide harvests of cool season produce. These vegetables such as lettuce, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and onions can add fresh and organic ingredients to your winter time cuisine.

"Winter is the opportune time to plant rhubarb, artichokes, grapes, berry canes and asparagus," said Moore.

Protection and preparation

The winter is also an excellent time to prepare for the growing season. It is also bareroot season and an excellent time to purchase trees, shrubs, cane fruits and roses. Both Andresen and Moore agree it is the time to clean up leaves to prevent disease development, prune especially roses and generally shape up the garden.

"It is the best time for revamping your garden," said Moore. " Examine the skeleton or bones of your garden and revamp it." Or, at least revamp it on paper if the soil conditions are too wet.

"This is a good time to amend and repair the soil." Moore said, "Add compost, then mulch on top the soil and let the winter rains work it into the soil for you." The result will be a nutrient rich soil replete with organic material and ultimately a beautiful garden.

Also part of tending to the winter garden dealing with frosts and seasonal storms. "We can have frosts into early spring. In fact, we always have a frost in April," said Moore.

An attractive solution to provide frost protection for tender plants such as citrus, Moore suggested is to wrap a string of mini Christmas lights under the plant and then wrap heavy clear plastic around the plant. Be sure, however, the plastic does not make contact with the plant's foliage. The illuminated lights will provide enough heat to keep the plant protected from frost damage. She also advised keeping plants, especially citrus, sufficiently watered to help guard against frost damage.

Andresen said, "Before a storm hits be sure to check the plants you have tied to stakes, especially rose trees. Often times the stake can be damaged just below the surface. It has either rotted or snapped off. Be sure to prune to allow the air or wind can pass through the plant. And thin the crown so it is not top heavy."

If you were unable to do preventative maintenance before a storm, there are ways to save damaged plants. "I say it's a good time to whack it back," said Moore. "The plant will come back and the severe pruning actually promotes healthy new growth."

Moore also brought up one more important winter time gardening step: pest control. While the Master Gardeners prefer environmentally friendly options and methods, they do agree now is the time to abate pests by spraying fruit trees and dealing with the overpopulation of snails and slugs.

For one final suggestion to add life to a winter garden, Andresen said, "Another fun thing to do is to put up a finch feeder. Be sure to use black thistle as the feed as it does not sprout when it drops on the ground below and become a weed problem. Also be sure to hang the feeder near a water source and a tree. The tree provides the birds with an emergency exit when a predator approaches. I love to watch the antics of the brightly colored finches in the winter."