White Forsythia
White Forsythia, abeliophyllum distichum, is one of the earliest plants to bloom in spring with fragrant white, trumpet-shaped flowers. It is grown primarily for its very early, often profuse, spring bloom. This Forsythia forms a rounded shape with arching branches at maturity, and looks great planted in masses. The dark green summer foliage has a muted purple fall color. These late winter flowers can be showy despite their small size, since there are not yet leaves to hide them. The little blooms can occur in racemes of three to fifteen. You can bring some branches inside in February for earlier bloom. It has moderate growth rate to four or five feet high and wide. In the northwest it wants full sun, but can tolerate partial shade. Inland or further south it would want partial sun to partial shade. It's fairly low-maintenance just so long as it gets medium watering. It is not fussy about soil conditions but will not do well in a droughty spot. You can bring branches inside in February for earlier bloom. ... details
Dogwood - Coral Red The Coral Red Dogwood, Cornus alba 'Sibirica', has stunning bright red bark which adds color to the winter garden. It has been given an Award of Garden Merit (AM), which is for plants of outstanding excellence. Tolerant of a wide range of soils, it produces the brightest winter bark when planted in full sun. To keep the size of the plant in check and to encourage the most colorful bark, remove a third of the stems back to ground level each spring.
