As winter nears, many Texas gardeners face not having a landscape of colors in their flower beds and gardens.
But a wintertime yard does not have to appear lifeless. There are flowers and shrubs that can withstand winter and offer a year-round pallet of color, with and without blooms.
There are numerous winter- hardy flowers in Texas, such as reliant pansies, violas and snapdragons, which offer a variety of colors and textures.
Other options include dianthus, dusty miller, calendula and ornamental cabbage and kale to add seasonal interest.
Pansies and violas are among the most reliable for cold weather. qDepending on temperatures, they may need protected from hard freezes by watering well and covering with a light cloth, and mulch around the base to regulate soil tempera-ture. They are generally resilient but will need regular watering, especially in pots, and light feeding with a balanced fertilizer can promote continued growth and blooming.
Pansies are delicatelooking but sturdy flowers are part of the viola family and require very little attention to bloom and thrive, bringing joy through the depths of winter. These cold-resistant plants thrive in frosty weather and continue to bloom until temperatures rise.
Cabbage and kale can enrich a garden since they’re one of the most cold-resistant, frost-friendly plants. These ornamental plants used in decorative lawn and garden services and landscaped beds come in a wide variety of colors spanning from winter whites to intense purples.
They are low-maintenance and thrive in cold weather and need minimal care. .
Flowering bushes that keep their leaves through winter, known as evergreen flowering shrubs, include popular choices like Camellia, Rhododendron, Azalea, Mahonia, and Pieris japonica. Other options include certain Viburnum varieties and Gardenia, which offer year-round foliage along with their blossoms.
Winter honeysuckle can brighten a yard oncold days, enjoying full sun during the colder season. Commonly called Sweet Breath of Spring, Sweetest Honeysuckle, and January Jasmine, blooms form on the new growth of honeysuckle, so trimming it while it is dormant can create a denser plant. Areas with mild winters may not need to do much for honeysuckle, but plants grown in areas with very cold or snowy weather may benefit from some preparation and protection, such as adding at least 2-3 inches of mulch around the base to help insulate the roots from cold. While not a flowering shrub, Nandina is one of the few plants that actually gives more color in the winter than it does in the spring and summer. Other hardy non-flowering shrubs include Holly, Boxwood, Abelia, and Red Tip Photinia, which can survive down to 0 degrees. Whatever the choice in plants, it is possible to add color to an otherwise grey winter season.