My goal is to have something blooming in the garden every month of the year.
January and February are the most difficult months to find blooms.But they are there if you look. I have found five outstanding plants in bloom in my garden or those of friends living in Rowan County this month.
Winter jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum ó These plants grow approximately 4 feet tall. They bear 1-inch wide yellow blooms before leaves appear. They are not fragrant. The blooms are very similar to forsythia, but jasmine blooms earlier and its stems stay green in winter while forsythia branches are brown. They grow best in full sun to partial sun in well-drained beds.
Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima ó This old timey shrub is also known as “first breath of spring.” It blooms very early and has creamy white, lemon-scented flowers. It will grow to a height of 6 to 10 feet. It requires full sun to partial shade. It needs to be planted in well-drained soil, as it does not tolerate wet or boggy conditions.
Winter daphne, Daphne odora, is an evergreen shrub. This shrub has incredibly fragrant flowers that will perfume the whole yard when in bloom. I have a stem in a vase on my kitchen windowsill now and the fragrance is wonderful. The most commonly seen plants have pale pink flowers but they can also be found in white and purple/lavender. The leaves may be solid green or edged in white. It does best in part shade in well-drained soil. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.
Hellebores, Helleborus Orientalis, is also known as the Lenten Rose. It is an evergreen plant and blooms in February. The blooms are available in a variety of colors óshades of white, cream, lime, pink, red and purple. They last for several months. There is a white variety which is often called Christmas Rose. They do best in partial shade in well-drained soil. They grow about a foot tall. Deer don’t like them.
Leatherleaf Mahonia, Mahonia bealei, is an evergreen shrub. The plant grows in an upright multi-stemmed clump 4 to 6 feet tall. It has fragrant lemon-yellow flowers that appear in late winter. The flowers produce berries that are green at first then turn bluish black. It does best in partial shade with moist, well-drained soil. This is another plant that deer don’t like.
Pansies and violas bloom all winter, providing a variety of colors during the dark, dreary months. Hollies and nandinas with their red berries provide color as well as food for the birds. Evergreen plants with variegated leaves, such as gold dust aucuba and variegated euonymus, provide interest in the garden at this time of year.Crape myrtle and river birch show off their interesting bark in the winter when the leaves are gone. Dried grasses and seeds also provide interest in the winter garden, as well as food for the birds.
So keep your eye out for that special beauty of winter. You can find it all around you if you look.
Carolyn Alexander is a Master Gardener volunteer with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.