Pacific Northwest Gardening: New front yard garden, 4 by Pistil

Pistil wrote:
Well it is looking very nice already!
I guess for low winter interest, I would think berries. Also rose hips. I don\'t know it any of the little groundcover roses have nice big hips but you might investigate that. Berries that come to mind- I have some small Skimmia japonica shrubs, very slow growing, very nice red berries. Iris foetidissima make very showy berries for winter. There are some ground cover Cotoneasters with big red berries.
I have some yellow Hellebores, a big patch is noticeable in January-February, unlike many of the more traditional mauve. But all of them are more interesting close up. Anyway it gets me outside to see how they are.
I guess I don\'t worry too much about the winter-it is short here, and dark. With your nice grey and white house, I would be more likely to decorate the house with a huge Holly wreath or something, maybe wrap the stair rail.
For the ditch, I would tend to put spillers at the top garden edge, to flop over. Since the ditch is probably very soggy in winter, you will be a bit limited. I have a low soggy spot in my yard. Low things I have planted there include Toad Lilies, Bloody Sorrel, and Corkscrew Rush, they seem to survive winter sogginess. Another idea-plant Geranium \'Rozanne\' at the top of the ditch, so it will survive the winter. In my yard it spreads out to be as much a 6 feet across during the summer, even climbing into shrubs. Every single one I have planted has survived, and the only care is a rare drink of water, and whacking off the old dead stuff in early spring. It blooms nonstop all summer until frost. Here is \'Rozanne with Carex \'Frosty Curls\', which I find drought and clay tolerant, but is reportedly tolerant also to sogginess. In the back are Lambs Ears. I like this easy-care combo. Lambs Ears would not tolerate sogginess, but could be put at the top of the ditch maybe.