Winter white can thrive into spring.
Houston’s mild winters allow beautiful bloomers to thrive into the spring
Ilove white flowers during cooler months. A surprising assortment thrives in Houston’s typically mild winter and spring. Plant in a well-draining, compost-enriched soil. Have frost cloth on hand to protect the more tender blooms in case of a hard freeze. Cool-season white bloomers include:
German primroses (Primula obconica) produce clusters of flat, single 1- to 2-inch flowers in white held above a tidy mound of rounded, scalloped leaves. This short-term perennial also comes in blue, apricot, pink and rose and is best in part sun to bright shade. Primroses survive occasional temperature dips into the 20s. Blooms will continue until it’s hot.
‘White by the Gate’ camellia is a late-fall and early-winterflowering evergreen in semishade. The snowy white blooms are beautiful against the shrub’s glossy, dark-green foliage.
Edging lobelia (Lobelia erinus) is only 4 to 6 inches tall, but cultivars of this spreading low-grower bring white, cobalt or pale blues to the garden fall to spring. The flowers are a mere half-inch across, but they cover the bronzy-green foliage. Use lobelia at the front of a bed, at the feet of spring-flowering bulbs and to cascade over container
rims. Plant in part sun or bright shade, and cover when temperatures fall to the upper 20s.
Violas (Viola spp.) may be smaller than their pansy cousins, but they’re big on charm and are prolific. Colors include white, yellow, orange, burgundy, blue, purple and numerous combinations. Plant the coldhardy 6- to 10-inch mounding cultivars so they will spill over raised beds or pot rims, and at the foot of tulips and daffodils. Sun is best.
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum spp.) are available in a wide range of colors, from white to velvety deep red, pink, pale yellow and combinations. Use dwarf types to border sunny beds; tall cultivars are best at the back.
Twinspurs (Diascia spp.) are snapdragon relatives with prolific flower spikes covered with airy, five-lobed, ¾-inch blooms in white, pink, peach, coral, orange and rosy red. There are two teeny spurs on the back of each flower. The 10-inch-tall plants spread to 18 inches and are surprisingly frost tolerant, but they can’t handle poor drainage.
English daisies (Bellis perennis) are cool-season charmers in white, pink or rose. The dainty blooms resemble buttons or small daisies and make sweet cut flowers for a bedside table. The plant makes 6- to 8-inch-tall bouquets against rosettes of dark-green leaves. Excellent drainage is important.
Drummond phlox is a native wildflower that fills the countryside with cheery red blooms. But the slightly fragrant flat flowers also provide cool-season white, rose, pink, salmon and purple in the home garden. Use this 10- to 12-inch cool-season annual in sun to part sun to border beds, tumble through rock gardens or in containers. It may reseed.
Cyclamen (Cyclamen spp.) have heart-shaped leaves and fluttery white blooms (they also come in red and pink). Plant tightly for a fuller look in beds or containers in morning sun or bright shade. Good drainage is a must. Remove spent flowers and foliage to keep them tidy.
Paperwhites (Narcissus spp.) are easy to force for fragrant indoor holiday blooms. But they also can be planted outdoors during the winter. Plant the bulbs in sun or semi-shade in well-draining, organic soil with 2 inches of soil above the bulb shoulder. Naturalizers include ‘Gallilea, ‘ ‘Erlicheer, ‘ ‘Ziva’ and ‘Thalia.’
Use creamy-white ornamental kale and cabbage to accent these white winter blooms.