By December, the garden-party of summer blooms is over, and all that's left in the flower beds are the cigarette butts floating in a half-empty beer bottle remains of the day. Nevertheless, once the garbage has been cleaned up, and the dead tops of perennials and summer bulbs have been cut back and hauled off to the compost pile, a clean canvas is exposed, and with it is revealed the many lovely flowers that are able to overcome what amounts to insurmountable odds for other plants and bloom during the dark, drear months of winter.

In my Clark County garden, viburnum start the flower show in autumn, but they continue to flower throughout the cold months. A large group of broadleafed evergreen shrubs, viburnum tinus 'Spring Bouquet' compacta earns a place in my garden because of its long bloom cycle, with pink buds opening to white flower clusters and dark blue berries. Viburnum also provide food for the Anna's hummingbirds that winter over in my garden. The larger forms are a bit too consistent and dull in summer when they are out of bloom, but they can be spruced up during this time by planting a clematis nearby that will use the out-of-bloom shrub as a living trellis upon which to grow.

Sasanqua camillias bloom earlier in the growing season than japonicas. My potted 'Jean May' sasanqua starts flowering with double blush-pink blossoms in October and carries on through January. These camillias don't withstand rainy conditions as well as the japonicas, as the flowers tend to get crushed and dissolve away, but they work well in a container in a protected spot, such as a porch. They can also be espaliered against the side of a house so that they are sheltered from battering rains. In both cases you'll need to check to make sure they are receiving enough water in their protected locales. It is a lovely thing to float one perfect camillia bloom in a crystal bowl full of water to help drive away the winter blues. I grow 'Jean May' in a large container with an 'Asao' clematis, a great large-flowered early blooming pink with lighter pink center variety that blooms low down on the plant and only reaches eight feet tall, thus making it suitable for container planting. 'Asao' blooms April through May in my garden, and reblooms again later in the summer. Add some pastel sweet peas and a dark purple, fragrant heliotrope with 'Cambridge Blue' annual lobelia for a delightful three-season container.

The shrubby vine of winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) is a hummingbird favorite that blooms from December to March. The golden trumpet-shaped flowers make a striking contrast to the all-too-often grey skies of winter. Nearby I've planted a small Callicarpa bodinieri giraldii, or Beautyberry, which bears clusters of bright purple berries on bare branches. This plant produces berries earlier, in September, but continues on through January, thus achieving a bright winter combination with the jasmine.

Chinese witch hazel (Hamamelis 'Arnold Promise') is a winter inspiration. 'Arnold' bears yellow explosions of blooms in my garden from January to March. Nearby is a flowering quince (Chaenomeles Jap. 'Texas Scarlett') whose bright dark pink blossoms open at approximately the same time as the witch hazel, and add another layer of texture and color to the winter garden. Feel free to gild the lily by underplanting both of these shrubs and the aforementioned jasmine with primroses, crocus, mini iris, scilla, winter aconite, grape hyacinth, and small 'Tete-a-Tete' narcissus.

Hellebore is a perennial that pleases the winter gardener. Many thrive in shade, but since my garden has more sun than shade, I've had good luck with Helleborus argutifolius 'Corsican hellebore,' an evergreen hellebore that will thrive in sun or shade. Blooming February to June, with chartreuse blooms and sharply toothed leaves, this evergreen looks especially great with the blue flowers of mini iris, scilla, and grape hyacinth nearby, as well as primroses and crocus. Since the bell-shaped flowers face downward, it's not a bad idea to place your hellebore in a sloped flowerbed next to stairs. This way you can see into the flowers as you make your way up the steps.

Winter is a time of celebration, and it doesn't have to stop in the garden if you make smart plant decisions to extend the party.

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