Learn to Garden — Gardening with Casey Joy

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The last of the autumn flowers are starting to fade and that familiar sense of overcast foreboding is creeping around the edges of the sky. Winter is on the wing. For many gardeners the months between May and September can seem sterile, drab, cold and dull. Plant growth stalls, flowers vanish and rainy days make the grass stodgy and lacklustre. Oh, the gloom!

Wait a minute. We live in Perth. PERTH, Western Australia. Where the skies are blue (or partly blue) for an average of 265 days a year. Where there are only 47.6 rainy days between June and August (which means for half of our winter it doesn’t even rain at all).

I think we’re all suffering from some form of mass delusion.

We’ve got a caricature of ‘winter’ based on TV shows from the northern hemisphere and it’s taped over our eyes, blinding us to the fact that - for the most part - winter in Perth is a friggin clear-sky, crispy-sunshine daydream! A long-awaited break from the pressure of having to hand water our gardens in between Retic days; a reprieve from staring at plants that are in a depressingly constant state of wilt, and a time to fearlessly garden without worrying about accidentally giving ourselves heat stroke after a few hours in the sun.

Winter in WA has a lot going for it. AND with proper planning and a bit of thought, our gardens can be just as gloriously flower-filled as they were in summer. Or if not quite just as flower-filled, we can get them damn close!

[I would like to take this moment to apologise to my dear friends and readers in the Northern hemisphere, for whom frosty, grey winters are a Real Proper Thing, worthy of genuine bemoaning. But, as you’re all currently looking forward to another 5 months of sunshine, I don't feel too bad for writing this rather Aussie-centric post.]

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Here’s the thing. You might think that winter gardens are drab and boring, but there’s actually a HEAP of great stuff you can plant right now to ensure that your winter garden is filled with flowers right up until September. These plants are about the farthest you can get from dull and it’s important to plant them - not just for ourselves but also for the insects and birds that we share our gardens with. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies and honeyeaters all consume nectar from the flowers in our gardens. While lots of people have gardens that are filled with flowers during spring (providing a rich supply of nectar), gardens that flower during winter are rarer and - because of this - are crucial to supporting insect and bird life during the cooler months.

Admittedly, not all of the flowering plants on the following list provide a source of nectar for these animals. Some of the flowers (like pansies and violas) are really just pretty. As justification for their inclusion, I was just about to refer you to the quote by William Morris: ‘A beautiful thing can never be truly useless’. But then I googled it and turns out the quote is actually ‘Nothing useless can be truly beautiful’. Whoops. I guess that’s the price you pay for finally starting to write a blog post at 9pm on a Monday.

… Anyway, Morris can say whatever he likes. I bet he never grew an awesome winter flower garden.

What to plant

I’ve broken your list of recommended winter-flowering plants into annuals and perennials. Quick reminder: annuals are plants that germinate, grow, flower, set seed and die back all in a single year. Perennials live for 2 or more years. It’s usually good to aim for a combination of annuals and perennials in your garden; perennials tend to grow bigger and provide the structure and framework for your garden, while annuals add seasonal change and excitement!

Winter-flowering annuals

Nemesia - If you sow one packet of seeds this week make it nemesia. These flowers often come in packets of mixed colours and make the most beautiful, colourful winter borders. Last year I filled my wheelbarrow with them and they rewarded me with crayon-bright reds, yellows and oranges all through July.

Primulas - (aka Primrose or Polyanthus) these happy little flowers send up stems topped with a little clustery bobble of flowers. You can get them in pretty much any colour under the sun. They come in a few different varieties (with stems lengths ranging from the long and lean to the short and stocky). Stick them in pots, in your borders, in a wheelbarrow, in a gumboot. Any garden filled with primulas is certain to be cheerful.

Pansies & Violas - These are a staple of my winter garden! Coming in a massive range of colours, pansies (which tend to have big blooms) and violas (which tend to have smaller blooms) are beautiful dotted in pots all around the garden. I’m sure you can grow them in your garden beds too, but I find they tend to be a bit susceptible to slaters. They also grow quite low to the ground, so planting them in pots means you can elevate them off the ground. This stops them from getting lost amongst the other plants in your garden beds, making them a much showier and more beautiful sight instead!

Impatiens - Basically the winter cousin of the Vinca, Impatiens do well in part shade and generally survive (and bloom in) mild winters like ours. They don’t like really frosty winters though, so if you’re in Tasmania they mightn’t fare so well. But then again, if you’re in Tasmania you are blessed with THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SOIL and an environment that allows you to grow things like Peonies and other glorious plants I can only dream of. But I’m not resentful or anything.

Everlastings - A beautiful little native flower with delicate, paper petals. Last year I planted a heap of everlastings around my pond and when they bloomed they looked like little dancing pink butterflies! Which is why it astonishes me that I did not take a photo! I will make sure they are much better-documented this year, but for now, have a look here if you’d like to check them out.

Tropical Milkweed - Tropical Milkweed is fast becoming one of my favourite plants in the garden! It self seeds with absolutely no effort on my part, it produces fiery orange and yellow star-shaped flowers almost all-year-round, and it attracts monarch butterflies and ladybirds! I LOVE it! It’s pretty hard to come by, so if you are keen to add this to your own garden (and if you live in Perth), send me an email and I will do my best to save you some seeds.

Peruvian Lilies (Alstroemeria) - This hardy little perennial goes through waves of looking, well, not so impressive. Basically just green leafy stems sticking out of the soil. But then suddenly it blooms and ohhh man, it’s worth it! Peruvian Lilies make a fantastic cut flower (although ‘cut flower’ is a misnomer because to pick these flowers you simply grab the stem at the base and - pluck! - it right out of the ground). They grow from a tuber that spreads gradually underground, so once they get big enough you can divide them and dot them around your garden. They like dappled shade and respond well to a tasty bit of manure. In colder climates they won’t bloom in winter, but in our mild winters they do nicely. When they decide to grace you with their blooms they add plenty of speckled, majestic colour to your garden.

Kailan Broccoli - A few years ago I planted Kailan Broccoli (to eat) then promptly and entirely forgot about it. Left to its own devices (unpicked and uneaten), it suddenly started sending out the most beautiful white flowers. Usually it’s picked early and the leaves and stems are boiled or steamed to make a delicious Chinese stir-fry dish flavoured with ginger and garlic. But I have learnt by accident that it’s absolutely worth growing twice as many plants and leaving a few to enjoy for their flowers, too!

Stocks - Stocks smell like fresh rain and musk sticks and dewdrops and - frankly - I want to shove my face into them EVERY time I see them in bunches in shops. I don’t though. I just grow my own and shove my face into them in the privacy of my own garden. And you absolutely should too because their gorgeous little petals and spicy, herbaceous aroma is beautiful like nothing else!

Calendula - Calendula is one of the heavy lifters in the garden. Good for the bees, edible flowers, able to bloom pretty much all year round and easily grown from seed, there’s pretty much nothing not to love… It’s nearing midnight and I’ve just confused myself with that double negative. Nothing not to love. So.. lots to love, yes? Suffice it to say that Calendula is really good and happy and yellow and sunshine-y and you absolutely should sow a packet of seeds in your garden borders today!

Winter-flowering perennials

Perennial Statice - What can I say. Robust, structural. It sounds like a fancy wine. But then again it’s purple so maybe not. Statice is also called Sea Lavender which I think is an infinitely more beautiful name. Papery flowers on tall, slender stems, these make wonderful cut flowers to cheer up your winter kitchen too (although to be honest winter kitchens almost never need cheering up - at least, not if they’re full of roasting potatoes all day, every day - which they should be).

Daisies - Oh there are so many daisies to choose from! These beautiful - often overlooked - little bushes are one of the few plants that has repeatedly filled my winter garden with colour year after year. I especially like the Federation daisy (comes in white, pink, yellow or red) and the African daisy. Be careful of accidentally killing your daisies by pruning them too heavily after they’ve finished flowering. I say this because I regularly kill my daisies by pruning them too heavily after they’ve finished flowering.

Hellebores - Hellebores (also known as Winter Roses) are basically the classiest, most classically beautiful flowering plant. They’ll add gentle, muted colours to your patch all through the cooler months - you definitely need some of these in your winter garden.

Aquilegia - Aquilegias (also known as Columbines) are a deceptively resilient little flower. With delicate clover-like leaves and even more delicate, ornate flowers, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking these plants would shrivel at the first sign of a winter chill. Not so. They produce gorgeous flowers that are almost orchid-like throughout winter.

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Grevilleas and Geraldton Wax - Two gorgeous natives that are wonderful for wildlife. Honeyeaters love Grevilleas for the nectar contained within their flowers, and bees flock to the Geraldton Wax like bees to… well, honey.

Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) - the Kalanchoe genus covers a large number of tropical succulent flowering plants, but blossfeldiana is one of my favourites. Covered in flowers that last for weeks throughout winter, this plant thrives in a sunny position. Water it only when the soil is bone dry, then give it a soak until water runs through the hole at the bottom of the pot. These plants don’t like to get soggy feet, so let it dry out fully before watering again. I find mine do much better in pots than in the garden.

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Ribbon Plant (Hypoestes aristata) - I must admit I’ve been growing this plant for over a year without fully appreciating it OR even knowing exactly what it was. I originally discovered it in a public garden and sneakily took a cutting, so I never actually knew what it was. That’s now well and truly changed because it has suddenly exploded into beautiful purple blooms. At long last I have ID-ed this beautiful little perennial shrub. Hypoestes aristata originates from South Africa, grows to about 1.2m tall and flowers on tall spikes from Autumn through Winter in mild climates. It even flowers in the shade! AND so far it seems to be a total cinch to propagate - a must-grow for all Perth gardens, and a plant I am now finally giving the appreciation it deserves!

Dogbane (Coleus caninus) - this is one of the hardiest plants in my garden and it is incredibly easy to propagate. I use it as a gap-filler to ensure that my garden beds are as full as possible. In winter it throws out bold, structural purple flowers.

Lavender - there are so many beautiful varieties of lavender available, and most do really well in our dry, temperate climate. Have a look here to get an idea of which varieties you might like to plant.

And there you have it! Your winter flower garden!

It is worth mentioning that this is by no means an exhaustive list. There are always more plants to be discovered, more flowers to be enjoyed. But if your garden is currently lacking in colour and cheer, go grab yourself everything on this list and, like a rainbow after the rain, like a prism refracting white light, like the oily sheen atop a puddle on the side of a busy highway, your garden will bloom into a vibrant ROY-G-BIV dreamscape in no time!

And now I really must go to bed.