What's out there in winter?

What to see in winter on the campus

Well it was a lovely crisp winters day yesterday on campus with a gorgeous sunrise. When I drove into work it was -2 degrees Celsius, but it did warm up to a toasty 1 degree by lunchtime! It was fantastic to walk around the Headingley campus all wrapped up nice and warm, to capture some of the stunning colour that there is to see in winter. Some people may think that there isn't much to see in winter time in gardens but I'm here to prove you wrong.

(http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/our-applicants/visiting-us/getting-to-headingley-campus/)

I've included the map of the campus so you know where I'm taking about and where you can go on your break to see some winter interest.

The first place I visited was Fairfax (10) and here there is the fantastic colour from both the foliage of the ground cover plant, Geranium macrorrhizum 'Mytikas' and the tall Phormium tenax 'Yellow Wave'.

Next I visited the borders of the main campus building, James Graham (1). These borders are used as a focal point when graduation time comes round as the roses are in full bloom. The acre is used for the marquee for graduates and their families to congregate and have a drink and celebrate, so the borders of James Graham always have to look their best for being in those family photos!

Here we have 1) Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii, 2) Skimmia japonica ‘Fragrans’, 3) Ilex aquifolium ‘Golden King’, 4) Mahonia x media ‘Arthur Menzies’, 5) Viburnum tinus ‘French White’, and 6) Viburnum davidii.

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As you can see from the pictures, that although the borders are at their best in the summertime, there is still quite a bit of colour to view in the winter.

At the student hub area (left of 2), we have four raised beds with a variety of shrubs in them. Again although they are at their best in the summer, it's worth looking out for the Cornus stolonifera 'Flaviramea'. This is a dogwood grown for its winter interest of gorgeous green stems.

Over at The Cottage (21) we have a small border with a variety of shrubs but now's the time to see 7) Hebe 'Pink Elephant' with its vibrant purple foliage, and 8) Cornus alba 'Spaethii' with its deep red stems.

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At the north entrance to the campus we have the building known as North Lodge (23) and here you will find 9) Skimmia japonica 'Nymans' with its bright red berries and lush green leaves.

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If you happen to find yourself at the bottom of the steps to the refectory near the student bar (right of 2) then you will find another plot of shrubs providing greenery for the winter. In this you will find two Hebes, Cornus nitida "Bagessons Gold', Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea', Garrya elliptic 'James Roof', Santolina chamaecyparissus, Bergenia cordifolia 'Rosa Zeiten', Berberis thundergii f atropurpurea 'Harlequin', and Choisya ternata 'Sundance'.

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Should you get the chance then it is definitely worth having a wander across to Churchwood (22), as here will will find a shrub called Chaenomeles x superb 'Crimson and Gold'. This shrub has a fantastic display of red flowers that it is definitely worth seeing. 

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Carry on down to Priestley (4) and you will find 12) Helleborus x hybridus 'Peggy Ballard' and 13) Fuchsia 'Billy Green'. 

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We also have some lovely green foliage dotted around campus which does bring a lot of colour to the site in itself. At Carnegie (12) we have some 14) Phyllostachys bambusoides which provides a lovely green leaf with cream stems, and a 15) Aluba japonica 'variegata' which provides a variegated green and yellow spotted leaf for winter interest.

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I hope you have enjoyed this visual walk around the Headingley campus with me. As you can see there really is still colour and interest going on out there in the winter time. No longer can you say there's nothing to see in winter, as clearly there is! Until next time, get wrapped up and get out there to enjoy the scenery.

  

(All photos were taken by myself on the 21st January 2016)