- Add brilliant color to your winter garden by selecting winter-hardy plants along with a variety of evergreens.Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
The word "winter" often calls to mind images of bare branches and snow-covered vistas. However, winter gardens do not need to be dull and lifeless. Spice up your landscaping with bold color and fresh fragrances. Winter-hardy perennials and winter-blooming plants are hardy in a variety of growing regions. Some plants do well in the wet winters of Washington state, while others flourish in the dry conditions of the desert regions. Integrate flowering plants with a selection of evergreens for maximum visual impact. - Flowers that resemble colorful dusters adorn the Baha ruby fairy duster shrub.beautiful blossom of calliandra haematocephala image by Yali Shi from Fotolia.com
Add brilliant red color to your winter garden with Baha ruby fairy duster (Calliandra californica). This flowering evergreen shrub grows to heights between 1 and 3 feet and widths ranging from 3 to 4 feet. It flowers from February until May with clusters of red flowers and pink filaments. It is native to the Baja area in California and is hardy in regions with temperatures as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Baha ruby fairy duster will grow in USDA zones 9 through 11.
Plant Baha ruby fairy duster plants in full to partial sunlight and well-drained soil. Water requirements are minimal; it is frequently used for landscaping in dry regions such as Phoenix, Arizona. - Winter-hardy cactus varieties such as opuntia (prickly pear) provide year-round color to the Western garden.Opuntia image by matko from Fotolia.com
Cactus plants add evergreen color and periodic blooms to the Western landscape. According to Colorado State University, several varieties can withstand both the withering heat in some Western regions during summer as well as temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit during winter. Winter-hardy cactus varieties include coryphantha, neobesseya, opuntia and echinocereus. These cacti may change from green to orange or red during autumn, as chlorophyll levels decrease. For example, opuntia, or prickly pear cactus, is available in about 12 species, all of which have flat pads that look similar to leaves. Flower colors include creamy-white, bright yellow, bright pink and purple. According to the University of Florida, prickly pear cacti are hardy in USDA zones 3b through 11.
Choose a site with superior soil drainage in which to plant your winter-hardy cactus plants. Plants prefer soil that is loose and either gravelly or sandy in nature since these materials enhance drainage. - Bright yellow flowers add vibrant color to the winter landscape.Tagetes image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
Add bright yellow flowers and a lush fragrance of mint, camphor and passion fruit to your fall and winter landscape with mountain marigold (Tagetes lemmonii). The mountain marigold naturally grows in mountain canyons in Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. The plant grows during the spring and summer and blooms with vibrant flowers throughout the fall and winter. Mountain marigolds are hardy in USDA zones 8 through 11.
Plant mountain marigolds in full to partial shade and in soil that is well-drained. Water regularly until the plant becomes established; after the plant is established, mountain marigolds are low maintenance and require little water.
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