Enjoy colour through the winter

WGP 15Jun16 - Flowering now to give colour through the winter months.

One of the most prolific flowering plants is the bold, bright, colourful cyclamen. A very popular colour plant to grow during the winter months, they start throwing flower buds as the weather cools in March and continue in mass profusion through into September.
As a result of selective breeding a range of different cyclamen are available. In addition to the bold bright single colours of red, violet, white and many shades of pink there are some with frilled flowers, butterfly double type flowers as well as variation in leaf marbling (colour).
Cyclamen can be generalised into two main sizes - the miniature or smaller type and the larger flowered and leaved type. Cyclamen are a bulb although they are most commonly available as a potted plant. They die down and go into dormancy during the hot summer months, emerging into growth as the cooler, damper autumn weather arrives. As a winter dweller they do not need a lot of sun and are happy in shady positions with little or no direct sunlight.
They are versatile for use in the home garden situation and do best in a well drained situation. If the soil becomes saturated the bulb can be prone to rot. Wet soil combined with lack of air movement can also cause botrytis.
In Wanganui cyclamen will grow in the garden or in pots. They are also regularly used indoors as flowering houseplants and then planted outside in the garden when the flowers die off. When kept inside the flowering season is usually shortened by indoor warmth.
Growing in pots is probably the most popular use for cyclamen, where they can provide bright, cheerful and happy colour throughout the cold, dark winter months. Over the winter they will grow successfully pretty much anywhere in pots from a sun drenched north facing patio to the south facing front door which doesn't even get a ray of sun.
Cyclamen can be grown in hanging baskets where they make an excellent centre piece surrounded by pansies or other winter flowering annuals.
To get maximum flowering from cyclamen they should be fertilised with dried blood (sold as Tui Flower Booster). Yep, it is what it sounds, the dried blood from the meat works. This product is extremely high in nitrogen which these plants love, not to be mixed up with blood and bone which is not as suitable. For the best results flower booster should be applied at the time of planting and every few weeks subsequent. It is also the preferred fertiliser for pansies and polyanthus.
Shrubs
In the shrub garden we have a number of plants that present stunning flowers or foliage in these cold and darker months.
Coprosma and nandina are two where the foliage deepens to some spectacular colours as the cold sets in. Coprosma have had much breeding and selection with a number of new varieties being released in the past few years.
A plant for 2016 that has caught my eye is Coprosma Pacific Sunset™. This a striking evergreen plant growing to 1m high x 1m wide with a glossy wave shaped leaf consisting of a vivid red centre set against a burgundy/chocolate brown margin. Stunning for pots or the garden and works well in mass plantings with the colour most intense winter through spring. It grows best in a well drained soil and prefers full sun to partial shade. (information from tesslar.com)
A popular variety that was released in 2010 is Coprosma Inferno. The rich deep orange, red and pink hues of summer change to deep reds for the winter. Grows in most soil types and almost any position from shade to full sun. Like all coprosmas it needs protection from harsh frost so not so good in colder climates like the central plateau, but grows great throughout Whanganui.
Nandinas are one of the most popular shrubs for a number of reasons. They have a tidy compact growth habit that makes them good for small and narrow gardens. They grow well in full sun or shady conditions, windy conditions and pretty much all soil types. They don't need trimming or pruning and look good all year round. Nandinas are probably the closest thing to a no maintenance plant you can have.
The two most used cultivars are Nandina Pygmy and Nandina Gulfstream.
Nandina Pygmy forms a rounded shrub with a tidy compact habit. Its leaves are initially green and yellow tones, but darken to a dramatic red as the weather cools through autumn and into winter. It can be used in gardens, borders, patio pots and containers. The leaf colour is more intense if the plants are kept a little hungry.
Nandina Gulfstream: This nandina has more finely divided and pointed leaves than nandina pygmy. It is highly decorative and valued for the wonderful autumn colour which intensifies to a brilliant red in winter. Easy care and tolerant, gulfstream makes the ultimate minimal care garden. It looks wonderful planted in a group.
A new variety that is starting to be noticed is Nandina Blush. It is similar to nandina pygmy except that it carries a soft blush red through the summer months to a greater degree than other varieties.
Luculia gratissima can be summed up as a pink fragrant beauty - the name gratissima is latin for 'most pleasing'. When in flower you can spot one from some 20 metres away and the fragrance can be smelt from around 10 metres. It is a plant that flowers when little else is flowering. There is something peaceful and relaxing about catching the sweet scent of a flower as you wander through a garden. It offers scent in the garden from late May and through June. It is very complementary when planted with daphne which offers scent from late July through August, and the highly fragrant gardenia which flowers December through April.
The luculia is very easy care, with the most important cultural care that a luculia requires is harsh pruning in the early spring (approximately September). This ensures the plant rejuvenates bushy and fresh. If this is not done annually then within a few years the plant quickly becomes leggy and unattractive.
Luculia are evergreen with lovely large hand-sized leaves all year round. Like all evergreens they shed leaves all year round, each leaf turns an attractive orange red before falling.
The plant is happy in a sun or part shade position and tolerates a wide range of soil types as long as they are free draining. Luculia performs best in a frost free position or where young plants can be protected from harsh frosts. Watering during dry summer months will ensure a strong fresh plant which will flower well in the autumn and early winter. An occasional application of lime is also beneficial.
If your garden is looking dull then check out some of these plants. A good range of plants can be planted to offer colour through the winter. I haven't got space to also mention ericas, grevilleas, camellias, leucadendrons, proteas, leptospermums and hellebores, which all offer vibrant colour. Have a good week.
Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre