Even on dreary winter days, vivid color can dot the landscape
During this period of dry, cool weather, the decorative load is being carried by one perennial and cool-weather annuals.
Salvia greggii is also called autumn sage. Right now, even though it is not in its heaviest bloom period, it is a major part of decorating area landscapes.
The light green, mouse earsize leaves back up its many bloom colors, including pink, red, cherry, white and lavender. Deer do not eat it, and it is a nectar source for bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. Autumn sage blooms well in full or partial sun and qualifies as a xeriscape plant.
The showiest cool-weather annual is the cyclamen. The foliage is patterned with dark lines and shades of green. As impressive as the foliage is, we often do not notice the special leaves because the blooms are so beautiful.
Select from red, white, pink, purple, lavender and lilac flowers, and expect them to provide constant bloom from planting into April. Cyclamen require full shade to bloom at their best.
Retail nurseries are offering cyclamen at sale prices. Protect cyclamen from temperatures below 30 degrees if you want them to keep blooming into early spring.
Another showy cool-weather annual is primrose. It is low growing like a pansy, and the flowers are the same size. It is hard to believe, but the colors of its flower are even more intense than pansies. Grow primrose in full shade and provide protection from snails with slug and snail bait if you want them to bloom at their best.
In full sun, snapdragons, stocks, pansies and calendulas are decorating the winter landscape with color.
Snapdragons are the main replacement for zinnias in the winter cut-flower garden. They produce yellow, lavender, white, orange and red blooms in several
sizes during their early winter and spring bloom period.
Stocks offer attractive blooms in purple, pink and lavender, and they also have a wonderful fragrance. Enjoy both the blooms and the fragrance in cut flower bouquets in addition to the flow
er garden.
Stocks continue to be available at area nurseries for transplanting into the landscape. As you would expect, they are a favorite nectar source for winter pollinators.
Alyssum is another annual
flower blooming now in full sun. It is available in mounds with white or lavender blooms and has a pleasant fragrance easily enjoyed from containers near the doors and on the patio. Alyssum also provides nectar for winter pollinators.
Pansies are also blooming in containers and gardens. There is a wide choice of flower colors, including blue, violet, yellow, white and brown. The orange selection is a special favorite of University of Texas graduates.
The smaller flowered cousin of pansies, violas and Johnny-jumpups are especially effective for decorating patios and entryways, using small containers. Expect the pansy, violas and Johnnyjump-ups to be available at area nurseries deep into the winter planting season. They are also cold hardy and bloom through the winter even if there are freezes.
Calendulas are not as cold hardy as pansies, but their dense, sunflower-type blooms in showy yellow and gold do a good job of warming up the winter garden and bouquets. They also provide nectar for winter butterflies.