Top 10 Winter Plants

Güzel hava veya kötü, doğa bahçede çeşitlilik ve ilgi yaratmanın bir yolunu bulur ve kış da bir istisna değildir. İster bir kar kabuğunun arasından çiçek açıyorlar, ister düşen sıcaklıklar bizi iç mekanlara zorlarken canlı renklerini sergiliyor olsunlar, dayanıklı kış bitkileri, kış geldiğinde hayatta kalmaktan fazlasını yapıyor; gelişiyorlar. Bu bahçe sakinleri, baharın favorileri uzun bir kış uykusuna yatarken manzarada ilgi, doku ve beklenmedik bir dokunuş yaratıyor ve bunu şık bir şekilde yapıyorlar.

Çorak, soğuk bir manzarayı bir kış harikalar diyarına dönüştürebilecek 10 bitki, ağaç ve çalıya bir göz atalım. Her bitki için bahçenizde nasıl görüneceğini, ne tür toprağa ve suya ihtiyaç duyduğunu, nereye dikilmesi gerektiğini ve onu mükemmelleştirme şansı verecek bazı ipuçlarını ve püf noktalarını tartışacağız. USDA Sertlik Bölgesi Haritasına göre, bitkilerin hangi bölgelerde en iyi performans gösterdiğine de bakacağız . Bu harita, Kuzey Amerika'yı 1'den 11'e kadar numaralandırılmış 11 bölüme ayırıyor ve her bölüm bir sonraki bölümden 10 Fahrenheit (12.22 santigrat derece) daha sıcak veya daha soğuk. Bu harita, hangi bitkilerin hangi bölgelerde hayatta kalabileceğini göstermek için kullanılır [kaynak: Amerika Birleşik Devletleri Ulusal Arboretumu ].

Biraz hayal gücü ve bu özel bitkiler için hak edilmiş bir hayranlıkla, üşümekten hoşlanmayan bahçıvanlar bile yılın daha soğuk aylarında bahçecilik potansiyelini görmeye başlayacak. Karda gömmek zorunda olduğunuzda yeşil bir başparmak egzersizi yapmak özveri gerektirir, ancak bu çabayı hak eden bazı bitkiler vardır. Kış bahçeciliğini bir deneyin; soğuğun düşündüğünüzden daha soğuk olduğunu keşfedebilirsiniz.

İlk önce kamelya.

1. Kamelyalar (Camellia Japonica)
2. Japon Akçaağaç (Acer palmatum)
3. Evergreen Holly (Ilex)
4. Kış Sebzeleri
5. Kardelenler (Galanthus nivalis)
6. dut çalıları
7. Krep Mersin (Lagerstroemia indica)
8. Bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia)
9. Cadı Fındığı (Hamamelis virginiana)
10. Helleborlar (Helleborus)

Parlak yaprak dökmeyen yaprakları ve uçuk pembeden parlak kırmızıya uzanan tonlarındaki gösterişli çiçekleri ile kamelyalar bahçede göz alıcı olabilir. 7 ila 9 arasındaki bölgelerde yaşayacak kadar şanslıysanız, kamelyalar tüm yıl boyunca bahçenize renk ve ilgi katabilir. Daha soğuk bölgelerde bile, muhtemelen yeni soğuk iklim melezlerinden bazılarını yetiştirebilirsiniz.

En iyi bilinen kamelya, muhtemelen çay bitkisidir ( Camellia sinesis ), ancak aralarından seçim yapabileceğiniz pek çok türle - 280'e kadar - muhtemelen çiçek tarhınızda bu mükemmel noktaya uyacak bir çeşitlilik vardır [kaynak: Parks ].

Yükseklik: Kamelyaların ortalama yüksekliği yaklaşık 10 fit (3,05 metre), ancak 25 fit (7,62 metre) kadar büyüyebilen bazı türler var.

Toprak: Onlara zengin, asitli toprak (pH 6,0 ila 6,5) sağlayın ve kışın iyice malçlayın.

Su: Kamelyaları eşit derecede nemli tutun. Kuraklık koşullarına tolerans göstermezler, bu nedenle sulama kabını el altında bulundurun.

Dikim: Kamelyalar kısmi gölgeyi tercih eder. Onları çok fazla güneşte ekerseniz yapraklar yanmaya başlar ve onlara yeterince ışık vermezseniz o kadar çok tatlı çiçek elde edemezsiniz. Son dondan sonra ilkbaharda yeni bitkilere başlayın.

­ Ipuçları ve Püf noktaları:

Bir sonraki bölümde, dramatik Japon akçaağaçını keşfedeceğiz .

Japon akçaağaç, Asya'ya özgü yaprak döken bir ağaçtır. Bazı çeşitler, çoğu çeşit daha küçük olmasına rağmen, bazı durumlarda 15 fit (4,57 metre) yayılma ile 25 fit (7,5 metre) yüksekliğe kadar büyüyebilir. Genellikle kırmızı ve bazen altın olan sonbahar yaprakları için ödüllendirilirler. Ayrıca, büyümesi kolay ve manzarada ilginç odak noktaları oluşturan bir dizi cüce çeşidi vardır.

Japon akçaağacının genel silüeti, seçtiğiniz türe bağlı olarak vazo şeklinden basamaklıya kadar değişebilir ve yaprak şekilleri de değişkendir. Emin olabileceğiniz bir şey var: Japon akçaağacının sonbahar görüntüsü, bahçenizi mahallede öne çıkaracak. Canlı kırmızı, altın ya da yakut yaprakların anıları, son yaprak düştükten sonra da uzun süre sizinle kalacak. Gelecek kış sezonu için harika bir ilk hareket.

Toprak: Japon akçaağaçları zayıf toprağı tolere eder, ancak pH değeri 3,7 ila 6,5 ​​olan tınlı toprakta (kil, silt ve kum kombinasyonu) en iyisini yapar . Islak kökleri sevmezler, bu nedenle çevredeki toprağın iyi drene olduğundan emin olun.

Su: Kuraklığa biraz toleranslı olsa da, genç bitkiler düzenli olarak sulanmadıkları takdirde yaz aylarında strese maruz kalabilirler. Japon akçaağaçları sığ köklüdür, bu nedenle sıcaklıklar yükseldiğinde bunu aklınızda bulundurun ve tüm sulama işini yağmura güvenmeyin.

Bölgeler: 5 ila 8

Dikim: Son dondan sonra ilkbaharda yeni bitkilere başlayın. Rüzgardan bir miktar koruma ile benekli ışıkta en iyisini yaparlar.

Ipuçları ve Püf noktaları:

Bir sonraki bölümde, bir tatil favorisine bakacağız: kutsal.

The red berries and distinctive leaves of holly put most of us in th­e holiday spirit, and why not? That splash of red color and those reliably green, shiny leaves are a bright spot in any winter garden. Holly can grow successfully across the United States, and there are many more varieties than even most gardeners would expect (more than 400 species) with berries that can range from dark crimson to yellow [source: Taylor's Guides ]. There are also variegated leaf varieties that can add a bit of the unexpected to your flowerbeds. Holly seems to be a natural for adornment and decoration, too. The Native Americans, Europeans and Chinese have all used holly sprays and berries in religious and cultural celebrations. Need a nice privacy hedge? Holly is hardy, can make an imposing barrier and is easy to prune. What could be better?

Soil: Soil needs can vary, so check with your grower for instructions on the type of holly you're interested in. The one soil requirement most hollies have in common is that they like acidic soil (pH 5.0 - 6.0).

Water: Hollies are drought tolerant.

Location: Hardy and adaptable, there's probably a holly that can thrive in your garden no matter where you live. Be careful if you want it to sprout berries, though. You'll need both male and female plants for that.

Zones: 2 to 12

Planting: Start new plants in spring after the last frost.

In the next section, we'll explore the delicious world of winter vegetables.

Good Bones - Garden Structures ­

Paths, walls, stairs and water features are also elements in a winter garden, and they become more dramatic when there are no flashy flower displays to steal the show. If you give your winter landscape a distinctive structure with permanent features that are pleasing to the eye, you create interest with little or no seasonal work.

Planting a fall vegetable crop is just the thing to get you in the mood for a big pot of soup, and there's nothing nicer than being able to dash out to the garden to grab some cabbage or spinach to toss in the pot. Without a cold frame or greenhouse, you can grow winter vegetables until the first hard frost, and that's often long enough to bring in a sizeable harvest.

A good strategy is to identify the approximate date when you can expect the first killing frost in your area, and count backward the number of days needed for your vegetables to fully mature. Use that date as your planting date. Most plant seed packets will give dates to maturity that will help you put together a schedule.

The following vegetables make good autumn and winter crops:

You'll probably have fewer problems with pests in your fall vegetable patch, and if you have a long fall season, you may be able to plant successive autumn crops. Each winter vegetable is different in shape, size, color and zone to grow. Check your region on the USDA Hardiness Zone map to see if these vegetable will thrive in your backyard.

Tips and Tricks:

Need to buy a little more time to get the best yield from your vegetable patch? Plant near a south-facing wall or other windbreak and take advantage of the protection and higher temperatures to extend the growing season by a couple of weeks.

Lets move on to snowdrops, early bloomers that can ignore freezing temperatures.

Taking Care of Your Fall Garden Soil­

Instead of planting winter vegetables this year, take a year off and help renew the garden by planting cover crops that will return precious nutrients to the soil. Try alfalfa, red clover, vetch or winter rape. ­

­Often popping up through a layer of snow long before the crocuses are out, snowdrops are welcome guests in the garden. One wonderful thing about this unassuming little plant is that it will survive even an extended snow event, waiting dormant for conditions to improve.

The small, white, bell-shaped flowers of the snowdrop are suspended from short, delicate stems, and although traditional varieties grow only to six inches or so (15 cm), newer hybrids can reach to up to 10 inches (25 cm).

Soil: Provide well-drained soil.

Water: Keep snowdrops uniformly moist. Don't make the mistake of letting them go dry in hot weather.

Location: With the exception of the giant snowdrop, these little beauties don't fare very well in warm weather areas. They need a cold winter in order to really shine.

Zones: 2 to 7

Planting: Snowdrops do best in a sheltered spots. Start bulbs or divide offsets in spring after the last frost.

Tips and Tricks:

In the next section, we'll take a look at berry bushes in the winter garden.

Even shrubs that don't have showy flowers can make a contribution to the winter garden. Holly isn't the only plant that can brighten the landscape with some unexpected dots of color. And a dab of color here and there isn't the only advantage winter fruiting plants have in the landscape. Berries feed the birds, too, and in urban areas, winter can be hard on our feathered friends. For berry interest, try growing: firethorne (Pyracantha), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and chinaberry (Melia azedarach). You'll be doing something good for your garden and the local wildlife.

If you're not a bird-watcher yet, consider this: Flowers aren't the only potentially colorful additions to your backyard. If you include winter plants that attract birds to your landscape, the birds themselves can be decorative, either perched on your fence, or providing some ornamental interest to your bare trees.

Berry bushes can be short or tall, round or skinny, depending on the variety. Each will come with its own set of rules on soil, watering guidelines, planting parameters and zones. Do your research to make sure your berry bush blossoms.

Next up, the crape myrtle.

Trees­ Trunks, Bark and Texture

A winter garden isn't cluttered with lots of distracting green foliage, so unique textures and shapes can take center stage. In winter, deciduous trees reveal their basic design and structure, and that can be as beautiful as their fall display of color. Do you have a tree with interesting bark or unusual branches, like a crape myrtle or paperbark maple? Make it a focal point by adding a birdhouse nearby, or planting hellebores near the trunk. ­

A native of Southeast Asia, crape myrtle is a beauty that's destined for greatness in any garden. Depen­ding on the variety, this deciduous tree can reach 25 feet in height (7.5 meters) with 6 to 12 inch (15-30 cm) clusters of delicately ruffled flowers in shades from white to purple. A favorite in the South, crape myrtle has distinctive gray-brown bark that peels in patches along the branches and trunk, giving it an interesting multi-hued appearance in winter.

Soil: Provide rich soil with good drainage that has a pH of 5.0 to 6.5.

Water: Keep crape myrtle uniformly moist.

Zones: 7 to 10

Planting: Crape myrtle likes full sun in a protected location. Plant away from irrigation, as it's sensitive to dissolved salts in the soil.

In the next section, we'll take a look at the bergenia.

Topiary Living Sculptures

If you want to add some whimsy to your winter garden, try including a topiary. Topiaries are sculpted evergreen shrubs that can take almost any shape, from your favorite Disney character, to majestic pillars bordering your front walkway. And you don't need to be Edward Scissorhands to keep them looking well groomed.­

­Another Asian import, bergenias are evergreen perennials that can grow up to two feet (0.6 meters) in height and produce large masses of brightly colored, leathery flowers in shades from white to deep purple. In fall, the bright green, heart-shaped leaves begin to change color, turning shades of bronze, mauve and purple.

Soil: Provide moist, rich soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.

Sun: Bergenias like good light with some shade protection during the hottest part of the afternoon.

Water: Be careful not to let this plant dry out.

Zones: 4 to 10

Planting: Plant in spring or fall. Bergenias also profit from mulching twice a year. They will tolerate quite a bit of abuse as long as they are kept moist. Divide plants every three or four years to keep them vigorous.

On the next page, we'll learn a little about witch hazel.

Signs That Spring is Coming Even When Snow is Thick on the Ground

One of the most remarkable things about early blooming plants like crocus, snowdrops and hellebores is that they can take you by surprise. When you least expect it, a streak of color will appear from under the cold, hard soil or break through a crust of snow.

Many early blooming plants, like crocus, have become sentimental favorites because they’re so identified with the start of spring. Forcing is a method of bringing these plants into bloom prematurely so that they can be enjoyed indoors as houseplants before they would appear outdoors naturally.

Common witch hazel is a deciduous shrub with a long herbal and folk pedigree. Used both as an astringent and as one of the preferred woods for making dousing rods, witch hazel has useful applications in the garden and out. It's a popular understory shrub, or small tree, that can reach 20 feet in height (6.10 meters). It makes a good screening or border plant, and it produces bunches of fragrant, yellow, narrow-petalled flowers in late fall or early winter.

Soil: Provide moist, rich soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 and plenty of mulch.

Water: Younger specimens are not drought tolerant, so keep them well-watered during the summer months.

Zones: 3 to 9

Plant: Witch hazel likes partial shade and can be planted in spring or fall.

On the next page, we'll learn about our last top winter plant, the hellebore.

Winter Pot Protection

Use bubble wrap to shelter your pots during cold snaps. Avoid cracks in your winter pots and protect your plant's tender roots while sparing the environment. The bubble wrap stays out of the local landfill, and your pots stay safe with an extra layer of warmer air between them and the harsh winter weather. Just cover the outsides of the pots, and remove the wrap when the temperature warms up. ­

­Hellebores are very early bloomers that don't need much work or special attention to thrive. Growing to 15 inches (38.10 cm), these evergreen perennials are European natives that can sprout flowers as early as January, ushering in the New Year with vivid patches of color, even when the flowerbeds are dotted with snow. Translat­ed, the German name for the 'Christmas rose' hellebore (Helleborus niger) is 'snow rose'. The cupped blossoms of this attractive plant range from white and pale pink to maroon.

Soil: For the best results, offer hellebores plenty of rich, well-drained soil and a nice layer of spring mulch.

Water: Keep plants uniformly moist.

Zones: 4 to 8

Dikim: Hellebores, ağaçların altındaki korunaklı noktalarda en iyisini yapar ve gölgeli alanlar için harika yer örtücüleri oluşturur. Kışın tam güneş onlara zarar vermez, ancak yaz aylarında öğleden sonraları biraz gölge veya benekli ışık aldıklarından emin olun.

Ipuçları ve Püf noktaları:

Kardelenler ve daha sonra çiçek açan hostalar ile hellebores dikerek bahçenizin gölgeli alanlarında biraz çeşitlilik sağlayın. İlginç gölge bitkileri bulmak her zaman zordur ve bu üçü gölgeli bir köşeyi şık bir şekilde süsleyecektir.

­

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