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Already looking forward to your spring garden? You don’t have to wait to enjoy pops of color in your yard because there are plenty of gorgeous flowers and plants that blossom in the winter months. Yes, it’s important to transition your garden—and that includes proper mulch placement—but these months don’t have to be all prep work. Consider planting some winter pansies, the gold standard for winter gardens.
Did you know that winter pansies can freeze solid and then thaw and get right back to growing and flowering? They are hyper-resilient and an excellent bedding plant this time of year. You can pair them with snapdragons, nemesia, or sweet alyssum for a stunning garden that will give your holiday decorations a run for their money.
All of these flowers are frost-tolerant and able to survive a Utah winter. However, if you’re in a region that tends to steadily deep freeze, you might want to move them to containers that you can move in and out of the house after autumn.
Lenten rose (the Helleborus) is more often called the Christmas Rose and with good reason. This perennial flower has a penchant for blooming in winter months. You’ve probably seen it. It has beautiful dark green leaves that look leathery and stand up tall above the snow or your winter mulch. Some types of Christmas Rose can withstand Zone 3 winters, making them an excellent addition to your garden. They work well with virtually every other flower or decoration and look especially nice next to sweet woodruff and ferns.
The best part? Deer and moles don’t like the taste of the Christmas Rose. This means you can enjoy the opening of a rainbow of colors and shapes without having to ward off foragers (however, if you do have foragers after your other plants, sprinkling some curry powder on them fixes that problem). Once the Christmas Rose begins to wither, don’t remove the browning leaves until the blooms start to open. Dead leaves are a great source of winter protection to budding flowers.
You can even find some bulbs that are made to bloom in the winter. This includes the aptly named snowdrop (Galanthus), which usually pops up in later winter to herald in the warmer months. It’s about the size of a dandelion and has the tenacity to get through snow and ice! Gardeners love these flowers because they are the harbinger for warmer months, and the white, bell blossoms are beauties.
You might also like winter aconite, a winter flower similar in looks to a snowdrop. However, they have yellow blossoms for a pop of cheer. When planting these bulbs, keep in mind that they grow to be about six inches tall. Position all winter flowers where you can see them easily and take into consideration winter weather where you live. Planting them where you can take advantage of their beauty from the comfort of your windows is best.
The Dirt Bag is here to help you with more tips and recommendations for winter gardens—get in touch today!
