It’s obvious Virginia has entered the dead of winter, and we are all visually starving for ‘proof of life’ in the yard. It can be depressing to be cooped up inside, trying to stay toasty warm, only to leave the house with nothing pretty to look at along the way. True, that we live in one of the most difficult areas in which to achieve having winter flowers in the yard, but it is far from impossible. All it takes is a little creativity and not necessarily on a big budget either.
There are numerous trees, shrubs, & perennials that will bloom in winter, even some native options. We design a lot of landscapes for clients that include points of winter interest. For the purpose of this blog we are focusing on our own front entrance which also incorporates inexpensive annuals.
Above: The annual violas (which are much more robust than pansies in our area) add a pop of color while the perennial Angelina Sedum, & Bluestem Grass hold their places in the winter landscape. The low growing nature of the winter annuals really showcase the stone entrance walls. The violas will persist until mid May. The grasses will be cut back in the end of March to beginning of April.
The summer show of annuals at the entrance of Windridge always outshines the winter one, as it does not quite have that 45 mph interest, but it in no way shape or form should it be dismissed. Magic is happening on a smaller scale and one only needs to take a stroll to the mailbox to experience it.
Above: The vibrant winter color of the Angelina Sedum makes the yellow violas pop and glow. Coolest part about the violas is that they will reseed themselves gently over time so you will have little bonus plants come up in the beds seasonally. We jokingly refer to them as our perennial annuals. Sedum can be easily propagated by literally breaking pieces off and sticking them on top of the soil (in the warmer months) where you want them to grow.
Below: The bulbs are pushing gently through the mulch bringing us the promise of spring. We were not kidding about the ‘stroll’ to the mailbox either, see it in the background? Or were you too focused on the pretty flowers & beautiful stone walls with brown cobble edging?
Whether you need landscape renovation or just some fresh ideas we are here, at the ready, to help fulfill your horticultural wishes.
