Fine Gardening

If you feel that as a general rule your winter garden should look bare, then you must drop that belief and turn unorthodox, as winter gardens can look wonderful with winter flower that will bloom even through Christmas. Following are a few suggestions:

• Jasminum nudiflorum: This shrub is extremely reliable and starts flowering in early November until late March. However with the advent of snow it loses most of its flowers, and quickly recovers once the snow has gone. Since its branches are flexible, you need to support it by propping it against a wall or by tying wires around it. As soon as its stems touch the ground, they throw roots, hence it becomes bushy soon. Another essential point is that the flowers appear on new growths, so you must keep pruning it after it has flowered. The flowers are a lovely yellow and in order to make it appear more beautiful, grow it against a dark background.

• Iris reticulata: This is the loveliest winter flower and grows to a height of 4 inches only. The main drawback of the plant is that once it has flowered, the plant has a tendency to split and it may take several years before it starts blooming again.

• Snowdrop flowers: These are like tiny drops of milk coming from a stem, and they derive their name from the Greek word ‘Galanthus’ which means milk white flowers. They are quite hardy and will cover your entire landscape from January to April, creating a dramatic effect if you plant them on a large scale.

• Hellebores: Also known as Christmas roses or Lenten roses, this is a popular winter flower. They are saucer shaped flowers ranging in colors from white, red, purple and dark shades resembling black. This winter flower is evergreen and grows slowly. These grow well during the entire winter and as they age their flowers’ color fades to creamy ivory. The plants love rich soil and produce leathery textured leaves.

• Winter pansies: Sometimes referred to as ‘Ice Pansies’, this winter flower, is smaller as compared to other pansies. They are available in white, blue and yellow colors. You can buy their seeds of individual colors or a mixture. The adaptability of this winter flower is amazing as it can not only grow in areas having lots of sun, but also in complete shades.   

• Iris Unguicularis: This winter flower starts blooming in late autumn and continues to bloom through winters. The plant produces lavender blue flowers that may not look as attractive, but nonetheless, they will cheer up your winter garden. Additionally the plant has evergreen foliage.

• Chrysanthemums: This winter flower is hardy and survives hard winters, while blooming away to glory. The plants can be found in an array of colors ranging from red, pink, purple, white, yellow and orange.

So, now that you know about so many flowers that can be grown in winter, go ahead and plant them. Your coldest months will get filled with color and fragrance.

One Response to “Winter Flower for the Unorthodox”