My Top Ten Favorite Flowers For Winter

It's November and winter is well on it's way for the great state of Texas, but you've still got time to plant a beautiful garden that won't be bothered by the low temperatures.



1. Allysum- The flower offers a sweet aroma, and will flower from fall into summer. It serves as a great border plant that will typically cascade over your containers or borders. This is a low maintenance flower that only requires being watered once a week after being established.

2, Cyclamen - This flower comes in many bright colors and will flower freely. To see the best results you'll need to remove the buds of spent flowers in order for it to form more flowers.

3. Pansy - Pansies come in an array of beautiful colors that can brighten even the coldest of winter days. They are low maintenance,  and flower freely. Fun Fact : Pansies are an edible flower that can be served in salads.

4. Petunia - This flower is a garden favorite as it is very fragrant and can thrive in temperatures as low as 20 degrees. It's best to be planted in a container so that if the temperatures drop below 20 degrees you can bring it inside and continue to grow until the winter has passed. 

5.  Snap Dragons - A free growing flower that will sometimes recede and come back on it's own. For best results remove the spent buds to promote growth for new flowers. Fun Fact : The term " green thumb " comes from pinching off the buds of spent flowers between your thumb and fore finger. 

6. Calendula - The Calendula is a wonderful flower with many uses other than decorating your garden. Did you know that Calendula extract has been used to treat acne as it reduces the inflamation of tissue. It has also been used to treat abdominal cramps and constipation. This flower is also edible and can be used in salads or in place of saffron. 

7. Bluebonnet - As the state flower of Texas the blue bonnet, can be seen growing naturally all over our great state.  You can collect seeds that have fallen and save them for the following year.  They are  very low maintenance as they were made especially for growing in Texas. They are also available for purchase at nurseries. If you plant them in the fall, the will be ready for bloom in the spring.

8. Dianthis - Another garden classic, often reffered to as "pinks" due to it's bright color. A high performance flower that can sometimes bloom for up to two years. These plants must be "dead headed",  the process of removing the spent buds to enable the growth of new plants. 

9. Johnny Jump Ups - This flower is a miniature pansy and is a free flowering plant. Johnny Jump Ups serve as great border plants and will almost always reseed themselves for the following season. 

10.  Stock - A generally over looked flower, the stock is generally used in floral arrangement's because of it's intense fragrance and beautiful look.