Cleaning up garden beds and adding evergreen plants

Found some time in between rain showers to do some garden clean-up. Raked and picked up fallen leaves and did a little pruning. This is a good time to examine trees and shrubs for dead, damaged, or diseased branches - and to cut them off.

I also cut out some of the larger hydrangea branches (to the ground). For cane-type plants, this stimulates new growth from the ground. Heavenly bamboo (Nandina) is a good plant to prune this way. Cut down the oldest canes. New ones will form near the base of the plant.

You can see some of the evergreen plants I've added to this garden bed: Ilex crenata 'Convexa' and 'Sky Sentry' (nice Japanese holly varieties), Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'Fastigiata' (Japanese Plum Yew), Choisya ternata 'Aztec Pearl', and windmill palm. It doesn't look as bare this winter.