The last of the Japanese maples are coloring. Beautiful, but the dormancy of winter is nearer by the day. Leaves of the brilliantly colored ‘Shishigashira’ (Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’, below) will soon join the ankle deep piles that cover the shaded three-quarters of the garden.
But, the garden will not be bare through the winter months. There are plenty of evergreens, and better yet, some that flower through the late autumn and winter. So, there’s ample reason for outdoor strolls, no matter how chilly.
A variety of mahonias (Mahonia x media, now Berberis x hortensis) are favorites through the first half of winter, and this year, one of two ‘Marvel’ (above) is flowering splendidly. One in half shade flowers more sparsely, but it has grown vigorously, while the one in a sunnier spot has the heaviest bloom of all the garden’s mahonias.
‘Marvel’ is the safer alternative for the late autumn flowering, hybrid mahonias, with only a single spine at the leaf’s tip. I’ve been stabbed so many times by ‘Winter Sun’ (above) and ‘Underway’, with crispy, dead leaves the worst. I avoid weeding beneath the mahonias until there’s no choice.
While occasional seedlings of the late winter flowering leatherleaf mahonia (Berberis bealei) are found, I’ve seen no seedlings from the hybrids. Flowers of northwest native mahonias are smaller and less noticeable, blooming earlier, competing with many other flowers in the garden.
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 
What about holly bushes? I used to have a holly that had beautiful bright red berries and shiny green leaves. It was by far the best-looking plant in my garden over the winter months. But then in February the birds swooped in and usually ate all the berries in a single day!
Plenty of hollies here. Most are covered in berries after a sparse crop on several a year ago. Ripe berries are rarely consumed by birds until the second half of winter when the toxicity and bitter taste wanes. Then, in this garden, the robins move in.
I love all the maple trees. I planted about 40 little ones that I received from Mr Maple and surprisingly they are all growing like crazy, to the point that I have to transplant some of them, further away from my house. The colors are magnificent. I purchased an Osakazuki from a specialty supplier (it’s about 8 ft) and the bright red is intense. I wish I had a larger yard! I’d plant additional maples! Your yard is magnificent; I always pay attention to your photos of your maples!
I’ve limited the number of maples so that all can grow to maturity with too much competition. Many of the maples have been planted for thirty years or more, and I figure I have as many as twenty years remaining to enjoy younger trees.