ONE GARDENER TO ANOTHER: Hardy plants that bring color to the winter garden

Published 7:00 am Monday, November 1, 2021

This year I planted a few annuals that really put on a show all summer long. Giant zinnia, dahlia, and cosmos surrounded by marigolds brought color, bees, butterflies and more hummingbirds that the feeders. Now, the last of them are in a vase and it appears that fall has officially taken over.

Looking around the gardens there are still of few perennial beauties, but it is apparent that very soon all that will remain are trees and shrubs in various phases of changing color or shedding. It is pretty obvious that my flower game is limited to warm season months. Although I get a continual show from the first tulips and daffodils of spring until the last aster fades in late fall, my garden is not as colorful in winter.

The following are flowers and shrubs that will bring a little warmth to the winter garden:

Pansies

With a name like pansy, you would think this flower was a weak specimen. It is anything but. Not only can they withstand cold and a dusting of snow, they are also so powerful a flower that legend tells us they were used in love potions.

The viola hybrid is edible, with a mild flavor ranging from tangy to wintergreen, depending of the type and growing conditions. Their colorful presence not only brightens the winter garden but also makes for lovely cake decorations when candied. Only consume pansies that have been grown organically – without the use of pesticides.

Pansies are grown in full sun and prefer moist soil. Although they are considered biannual, meaning they will last two years, pansies bloom in their second season. So, plants bought that already have flowers will usually only last the current season. November is the perfect time to plant pansies.

Christmas Rose

The Christmas Rose, a member of the hellebore genus, is a hardy perennial that blooms through winter in shades of white, pink, rose, and burgundy along with multiple two-toned varieties. They like shade, or dappled sun, and moist organic soil.

Winter Jasmine

Winter jasmine is a deciduous, sun-loving perennial that produces yellow blooms from January through spring. It can be grown as a shrub or vine, depending on the way it is pruned or left to grow naturally. It sends out long shoots from a central clump that can be tied to a support structure for a creeping vine or pruned back to keep the plant as a shrub. Winter jasmine brings color but does not carry the sweet scent normally associated with jasmine.

Witch Hazel

Witch hazel, hamamelis intermedia, with names like Jelena, Aphrodite, Aurora and Frederic, have a wonderful fragrance. Most varieties have coppery-orange, spidery-looking flowers that bloom on bare branches in winter. In spring and summer, the shrub’s oval leaves are green but turn yellow-gold in fall. They are a larger plant, growing 15-to-20-feet tall and 10-to-15-feet wide. They grow in full sun.

Snowdrops

Snowdrops, Galanthus, from the Greek words for milk (gala) and flower (Anthos), pop their milky white heads out in late winter. They are perennial plants that grow from bulbs. Even though they are dormant underground during the summer months, they prefer to be planted in shade with moist, well-drained soil. Because they are small in stature – about 4 inches tall – they are best planted in bulk to make a more noticeable statement. For a cottage garden appeal, try planting them in rock gardens or along pathways.

‘Yukon Belle’ pyracantha

‘Yukon Belle’ pyracantha is a fast-growing evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub that can reach 8 feet in height and 6 feet in width. It can be used as a privacy hedge, fashioned into a topiary tree, or for the adventurous gardener, trained as an espalier. The small white flowers of spring are followed by bright orange berries backed by dark, glossy green foliage that lasts through winter.

These wonders of winter will bring some welcome color to the garden until spring. Until next week, happy gardening.

— Irland, a member of the Limestone County Master Gardeners, can be reached at kippirland@hotmail.com. Visit https://mg.aces.edu/limestone for more information on the Limestone County Master Gardeners.