Sunny winter days take the sting out of winter, especially over weekends, and there is no better place to chill out around the braai than in the garden, on the patio or deck.
Winter gardens can be as full of colour and variety as summer ones, if not more so with succulents taking on intense colours, spring bulbs popping up and winter annuals providing a mass of flowers.
Gardening during the cooler months is so much easier too. No sweating in the hot sun, with pests to bug you. There’s nothing like a little garden therapy to feel alive and healthy.
Go indigenous!
For an abundance of indigenous spring flowers sow Namaqualand daisies, or opt for winter scatter mixes that provide lots of variety and colour without the bother of mixing it yourself. There are dwarf and tall mixes combo’s long lasting winter colour.
Bright bedding colour
What would the winter garden be without pansies, violas, primulas, Iceland poppies, snapdragons, and calendulas? Feed them once a week with a liquid fertiliser for masses of flowers. For fragrance there are Virginian stocks, stocks, and alyssum.
Plant annuals in pots, or as massed blocks of colour near the patio, by the pool, in the outdoor living area, at the entrance or in front of your windows. Massing them always makes an impact, rather than scattering a few here and there.
Another good idea is to plant annuals along the edge of the rose beds. Fill in the deep edge between lawn and rose bed with compost and plant the seedlings out of the way of the roses. That makes up for the bare looking winter rose beds.
Bulbs
Wait until Easter to plant your spring bulbs. Daffodils are always a winner and look lovely in a patch on their own or mixed with pansies or violas, even groundcovers and grasses. Plant the annuals first, leaving space for the bulbs. Should space be a problem, grow them in a window box, just don’t forget to water them. Indigenous bulbs are just as beautiful. Strongly scented freesia grows in semi-shade or dappled sunlight. For full sun there is Ixia (wandflower) with long spikes of star-shaped flowers in many colours or Sparaxis that is frost hardy, easy to grow and offers a multitude of showy blooms.
Spectacular succulents
The cold intensifies the colour of succulents, especially red kalanchoe, glowing yellow and orange crassula ‘Campfire ‘and Euphorbia ‘Firesticks’. Mix them with other water-wise plants for splashes of colour, use lower growers as edgings or in containers. Care is minimal, just a little water every second week.
Winter containers for pop up colour
Containers are the answer if you want bright spots of winter colour but don’t feel like doing some heavy duty digging in the garden. Most winter and spring annuals are ideal for containers because they don’t have deep roots and flower almost non-stop. Prepare the containers by washing them with a disinfectant. Use new potting soil and don’t be tempted to use the old potting soil as most of the goodness will have been used up. Mix in some bonemeal or superphosphate for root development. Find a position that gets lots of winter sun and is sheltered from cold wind.
Winter growing tips
- When preparing the soil dig in organics like peanut shells, finely milled bark, or roughly textured home-made compost to improve soil aeration and drainage.
- To keep the plants in peak condition, water regularly (once or twice a week in winter), removed dead flowers so that more will develop, and feed with a liquid fertiliser every two weeks.
- The most important tip for winter is not to over water. Plants use less water in winter and even cold tolerant plants don’t like wet feet and heavy soil.
- Don’t water after 12 noon as this allows the flowers to dry off. Diseases like downy mildew also like cold, wet leaves.
