Some Like It Cold
If you think that winter is a dull, lifeless time in the garden, think again. There are many winter-flowering plants that will cheer up your outdoor space even on the coolest days. Certain plants such as camellias and azaleas bloom during cooler winter months, after summer flowers have faded from memory and well before spring blooms begin.
A sampling of popular winter-flowering plants follows, along with instructions on providing them with everything they need to produce spectacular blooms.
Poinsettias
When winter-flowering plants are mentioned, people often immediately think of the poinsettia--for good reason. This plant’s showy leaves, otherwise known as bracts, change color during the winter months. The true flowers are yellow and inconspicuous. In addition to traditional red, you can also find yellow, pink, gold, rose, creamy white and peach poinsettias.
Many people don’t know that potted poinsettias given as gifts during the holiday season can be replanted in the garden and will bloom every winter for years to come, says Gary Matsuoka, manager of Laguna Hills Nursery in Lake Forest.
If you want to plant a poinsettia in the garden after the holiday season, make sure to keep it healthy while indoors. This means placing the plant in a sunny location and watering it properly. Matsuoka suggests watering poinsettias when they appear lightweight; about a day after they look dry.
Choose a well-draining location in full or partial sun when planting poinsettias in the garden. They are native to Mexico and like lots of heat. In the ground, poinsettias tend to get fairly large and rangy--up to 10 feet and even higher. With this growth habit in mind, Matsuoka says they look best up against a southern exposure wall. This will also protect them from strong winds, which will quickly tear up the leaves.
To start their flower bud formation in the fall, which will lead to a change in color, poinsettias must get 14 hours of uninterrupted night for at least two weeks, says Matsuoka. Because our days don’t shorten until the end of October, this makes it necessary to shelter them from light in mid- to late September, if you’d like blooms for the holiday season. To do this, you can cover the plant with a black plastic frame, says Matsuoka.
When color begins to show, feed poinsettias every two weeks with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Prune the plant once it is finished blooming.
Camellias
Every winter, camellia owners are cheered by this plant’s delicate, often profuse blooms. There are more than 3,000 named kinds of this showy evergreen plant, which comes in many sizes and produces a wide variety of flower forms.
While there are many camellias to choose from, some especially striking ones include the Yuletide, which is scarlet with bright yellow stamens. Most camellias have a bloom period of about two or three months, but the Yuletide blooms for the longest period of time--five months, says Matsuoka.
Other attractive choices include the ruby-red Tom Knudsen; scarlet Kramer’s Supreme and the popular Debutante, which is a light pure pink profuse bloomer.
If you are given a camellia this holiday season, or decide to buy one for yourself, be aware that where you plant your new arrival will greatly affect its performance. Planted in the right location, your camellia will shower you with stunning blooms year after year.
Camellias need to be planted in an area where they will get some “cool sun.” This means placing them on the north or east side of your house, which is cooler and gets less direct sun, says Laguna Beach landscape architect Ann Christoph.
Avoid planting your camellia next to a white wall, which will reflect heat and dry the plant out in summer, leading to poor flowering the following winter, she says. Plant camellias next to other plants instead.
When planted, camellias need a rich, organic soil, so amend with an acid planter mix. Once they are established, they often do well in most Orange County soils. If your neighbors are successfully growing camellias, then you’ll probably have no trouble, says Christoph.
Camellias are easy to care for, needing maintenance only a few times throughout the year. To promote good blooms for the following year, it’s important to prune and fertilize them after they finish flowering in late winter or early spring. This gives them energy to produce new flower buds for the following year, which they generally begin doing in summer.
Fertilize with an all-purpose acid fertilizer or a food specifically made for azaleas, camellias and rhododendron, says Matsuoka. Also make sure to keep your camellia evenly moist, especially during the hot summer months. Drying out at this time can stress the plant and cause buds to drop or not open the following winter.
Camellias do really well in containers. Just make sure to use a high quality potting soil and water on a regular basis.
Azaleas
Another winter bloomer is the azalea, which has a delicate and stunning flower. These plants are smaller and more low-growing than than their camellia counterparts. In Southern California, most azaleas only reach about two feet high and three feet wide.
Among especially attractive azalea types Matsuoka suggests is the Red Wing, which produces bright red flowers in December. Other popular types include the purple-flowering Happy Days. This blooms the longest period of time--from October to May. There are other azaleas that can bloom almost all year, including white-flowered Alaska and the red Mission Bells.
While azaleas and camellias are often grouped together, the former are actually much more difficult to grow.
“Azaleas are native to the woods of Pennsylvania where the climate is different, the soil much more acid and there is a lot more rainfall,” says Christoph, adding that that they need to be pampered a little when grown in Southern California.
Where you place azaleas is critical. They like shade, so they are best planted on the north or east side of the house. Plant them in an area that is surrounded by other plants or grass, not near a white wall, which may throw back too much heat.
Drainage for azaleas must be excellent. Considering our hard, poorly draining clay soil, Matsuoka suggests setting the azalea root ball on top of the ground and surrounding it with an azalea planter mix or peat moss. “This method works well because the azaleas have very shallow roots that need to breathe air,” he says.
Azaleas also do well when planted in raised beds and containers, because you can completely control the soil in these situations.
Prune azaleas right after they finish blooming and feed with an acid fertilizer.
Christmas Cactus
If you’re the lucky owner of a Christmas cactus, you can be assured of beautiful blossoms every year around the holidays, says Laguna Hills gardener Stanlee Phelps, who has had a Christmas cactus in a container for 10 years. It has bloomed faithfully every December.
“The cactus forms flower buds around Thanksgiving and then beautiful pink fuchsia-looking blossoms gradually cover the entire plant,” Phelps says. “It’s so pretty that I move it in front of my sliding glass door so that I can see it from indoors.”
Christmas cacti come in a variety of colors, including shades of pink, lavender, red, salmon and white. They are hardy plants that require very little care. In order to get a good bloom every year, you simply keep the cacti evenly moist (they don’t like to dry out like other cactus) and fertilize them on a regular basis. They also require good drainage, which makes them perfect for containers. Put them in an area that gets filtered sunlight and avoid intense heat situations.
During the month of October, lower outdoor temperatures of 55 degrees or less and shorter days trigger the cactus’ budding process. If you have it in a container, move it to an area of the yard that will not get any artificial light during the night or put it in a closet until buds form.
Christmas cactus can be brought indoors to bloom if kept in a cool location.
Bird of Paradise
Perhaps the plant that symbolizes the warm winter season we usually enjoy here in Southern California is the tropical-looking bird of paradise. This exotic orange and purple flowering plant blooms steadily in winter months and is much easier to grow than its appearance suggests.
Bird of paradise will bloom in just about any location, although the plants do the best on the northeast side of the house where they get morning sun and shade in the afternoon, Matsuoka says.
Place bird of paradise in an area where it will get good drainage. Matsuoka suggests planting on a raised mound of rich soil that is light and fluffy. They aren’t suited for containers because their roots are too vigorous and will likely split the container.
In winter, cut back on watering so the plant roots don’t rot. During hot summer weather, though, make sure to give them plenty of water and fertilize on a regular basis.
New Zealand Tea Tree
The New Zealand tea tree is a shrub that resembles tumbleweed, but it is stunning when full of flowers. It blooms most of the year, from September through May, says Matsuoka. The shrub has grayish green tiny leaves that are almost unnoticeable when it’s covered with flowers. They come in a variety of colors, including deep red, pink, salmon and white. Ruby glow is a particularly popular red variety.
Plant the New Zealand tea tree in a sunny location and make sure to water it on a regular basis until it gets established, says Matsuoka. They are not suited for pots, because when contained they require a great deal of water. For optimum growth and bloom, apply an all-purpose fertilizer on a regular basis.
Cyclamen
Cyclamen are perennials grown for their pretty white, pink, rose and red flowers that bloom in the winter months. Although this plant has a reputation for being difficult, most of the newer varieties are a little easier to grow, says Matsuoka.
It’s necessary to be very careful about watering cyclamen, because they don’t like to be over-watered or under-watered. They are best grown in containers for this reason. Some growers even sell them in self-watering pots. They also do well in sphagnum moss baskets, as long as they are kept moist.
When planting cyclamen or placing the container in the garden, find a bright, but cool spot and they will bloom from fall through spring, dying back during the summer.
Although cyclamen should be fertilized, use caution because they burn easily, says Matsuoka, who suggests cutting recommended doses to one-quarter or one-fifth and applying monthly. To promote new blooms, make sure to pull off old flowers and leaves.
