Add color to your winter garden

If you think winter means the end of beautiful garden colors, think again. There are plenty of cool-season flowers and other plants that can add a pop of color to brighten your day and perk up the drab Texas landscape. These flowers provide color right when most people need it most.

In areas where winter is not marked by a deep freeze, homeowners can plant pansies, snapdragons, English daisies, calendula, and other blooms from early fall through late winter. These plants will survive the cold, keeping containers, borders and gardens full of color.

Camellias are a type of flower that bloom in fall and winter in hues of red, pink, coral, white, and more. The plants are evergreen and will grow from shrubs or small trees when fully established.

According to texasgardener.com, bedding dianthus or “pinks” are practical choices for winter color. Though they tend to bloom only in
the warmer spells, dianthus will last well into the spring and summer eliminating the need to replant until the next fall. Dianthus come in white, purple and red. 

Cyclamen and primroses are also beautiful colorful plants to add for winter color but require extra precautions if the temps go below the 32-degree mark. Cyclamen’s blossoms can be in tropical hues of pink, red, and purple as well as a white-as-snow white and primroses have flowers in bright primary reds, yellows, purples, blues, and oranges while the taller versions of the plant include pastel colors says the gardening website.

In the parts of Texas marked by cold winters, gardeners can opt for plants that offer color but without flowers. These include cabbages and kales, which can survive most cold winters and lend an interesting texture to a winter landscape bed. 

Of course, no list of winter’s colorful plants would be complete without holly, which offers an eye-catching display of evergreen leaves and bright red berries, though sometimes the berries are golden. Other options include nandinas, with golden or scarlet berries that hang in clusters, and pyracantha, which offers either red, golden or orange berries. All these shrubs stay decorated throughout the winter because they are not a bird’s first choice for food.

For more ideas, visit a local garden center or check out texasgardening.com to learn about plants that can add vibrant color to a landscape, even as autumn transitions to winter.