These tender plants wow long after they’ve wilted away, with bold textures and structures that won’t flop
Even though early tumble Frost and freezes have do your garden to enter a state of slumber , you could still enjoy color and texture from certain annuals or tender , nonhardy perennial well into wintertime in your garden . Now I know what you ’re think : How can something that only live for one year and pass workweek if not months ago render color and interest group ? Well , you are in fate , as there are a few annuals that do just that .
Giant swan milkweed(Gomphocarpus physocarpus , Zones 8–10 ) is a consummate plant for those who crave lime greenish fuzzed ball in their summertime arrangements . When leave behind on preceding drop , these balls bring on interesting increase to the wintertime garden . Reaching a height of 4 to 6 inch , these graceful plant add a bit of whimsicality to the garden throughout the year with beautiful peak and centre - catching green pod that turn brown for winter . This is a genuinely unique plant that gets bonus points for being a member of the milkweed family , making it a host industrial plant for monarchs !
Castor bean(Ricinus communis , Zones 9–11 ) is a tropical flora commonly grown from ejaculate each year . It is capable of reaching 10 feet tall in a individual time of year and producing a very sturdy structure you may just about decorate with string ignitor . Aside from the huge farewell that come in shades of red ink and green , the plants produce attractive seed mind that persist into the wintertime and are especially centre - catching after a punishing frost . It is important to mark that all constituent of the plant are poisonous if ingested , most notably their source , and seeds should be used sagely in the landscape painting to avoid potential consumption by child or pets .
Strawflower(Xerochrysum bracteatum , Zones 8–10 ) has long been used as a cutting flower and for drying , making it a slap-up alternative to carry colour well into the wintertime months . derive in a full regalia of color ranging from red , pinkish , yellow , white , orangish , purple , and many shade in between , there is certain to be a variety just right to add to your collecting . Their sturdy stem keep the flora upright through flatus and snow , with heights that rank from 12 inch marvelous with the Bikini serial all the way up to 36 inches or more with the Monster serial publication . well grown from seed and super affordable , they are a great fashion to protract those summertime colors into the brown - and - white month of winter .
Before you remove all your annuals this year , think about which ones might add a little coloring and interest to the winter garden if left stand or else . Or study tot up the above plants to your uprise list next year to get something dissimilar to your wintertime landscape .
— Chris Schlenker is gardening and grounds manager of McCrory Gardens at South Dakota State University in Brookings , South Dakota .
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Strawflowers dry in place over winter, keeping their form, texture, and color.Photo: Carol Collins
Giant swan milkweed’s pretty white summer flowers turn into fuzzy, spherical green seedpods in fall, which then turn an almost translucent brown for winter.Photo: Chris Schlenker
Even after a few dozen hard freezes, castor bean retains its tall, spindly form and offers texture with its seedpods.Photo: Chris Schlenker
Strawflowers hold on to not only their texture and forms but also their colors throughout winter.Photo: Carol Collins
